


A Life of its Own

by Zeraslam6



Category: Naruto
Genre: Blood and Violence, Character Death, Gen, Haruno Sakura-centric, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Minor Character Death, Psychological Trauma, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:28:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 44
Words: 189,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28070055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeraslam6/pseuds/Zeraslam6
Summary: It's said that in this game of life, all one's life is only worth what you make of it. So, with the chance to steer that game wherever she wishes, will life end up imitating art, or will Haruno Sakura force it to go her way? The future is a fickle mistress, but such is life. Sakura-centric.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23
Collections: Discord Community Archive





	1. Prologue - New Game

**A Life of its Own, Prologue**

**This Game of Life**

**New Game**

I stared.

 **Name: Haruno Sakura  
Class: The Gamer  
** **Level: LV 1  
** **HP: 100/100  
** **MP: 50/50  
** **STR: 10  
** **VIT: 5  
** **DEX: 5  
** **INT: 25  
** **WIS: 10  
** **LUK: 10  
** **Points: 0**

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?"

* * *

After calming down a tad (and getting a stern talking-to from my mother about the use of 'unladylike' words, throughout which Daddy couldn't stop laughing), I looked at this carefully. There seemed to be an entire menu..? Curious, I looked at it, finding a myriad of options and I didn't even know where to start. I selected 'Skills' to begin with. That seemed to make the most sense.

**Substitution Technique (Active) LV1 EXP: 93.67%  
A technique granted to shinobi long ago, after they won the favour of the Log. Or maybe it was just created, like any other technique.  
Replaces user with another object. MP used depends on user's INT, distance from object, and size of object compared with the user's size.**

**Clone Technique (Active) LV1 EXP: 68.80%  
A technique that creates an illusionary clone, that is only useful for diversionary tactics.  
Creates a clone of the user (Illusionary). MP used depends on user's INT.**

**Transformation Technique (Active) LV2 EXP: 32.96%  
A technique that casts an illusion over the user, changing their appearance to whatever they desire.  
Casts an illusionary veil over the user, transforming them. Can be dispelled by a touch. MP continuously used as long as the technique is active.**

Sweet! I have three skills! Wait… is that good or bad? I really have no idea, I need to find out more about this. Looking at each skill, though, all three of them referenced this MP thing. What was that? I saw it on my… description thingy, but what **was** it? Come to think of it, there was no chakra section there... And what was up with that, too? I only had 5 VIT and DEX! Although, I had no idea what that actually _meant,_ true… But that's not the point! I have 25 INT, why can't I have 25 everything? Shaking my head, I looked again, to make sure I hadn't missed anything, and it turned out I had. There was another skill, called Observe. Using it let me… observe things. More specifically, it gave me some information on whatever I used it on. I used it on a lot of the things in my room, because I like knowing new things. Didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, but that's okay, I like reading the little blurby things that popped up. Although, it started to get a little annoying as they filling up my entire field of vision, and they followed me wherever I went. Gotta figure out how to close these… Oh, the red x in the top right corner. In hindsight, that was pretty obvious. I clicked on the other things on the menu, but the only thing that made any sense to me was the 'Status' thing. It brought up my description summary number thing, and also a new thing, called 'Status Effects'. I looked at that tab, and apparently I had two of them.

 **Gamer's Body (Passive) LV MAX:** **  
****Grants a body that allows for the user to live the real world like a game.** **  
****After sleep in a bed, restore all HP, MP and status effects.**

 **Gamer's Mind (Passive) LV MAX:** **  
****Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through.** **  
****Allows the user to have a peaceful state of mind.** **  
****Grants immunity to psychological status effects.**

Wait, Gamer's Mind and Body? …Was someone pulling a prank on me? There's no way I was in a videogame or something like that. Actually, reading the effects again, it said that it lets me live the real world like a game. Cool..? I mean, I've never been one for games, so… It was cool, I guess, but not suited for me. But it's not like I knew how to get rid of it, so… I decided to go read, and I'd go to bed when I felt tired. Maybe it'd go away.

* * *

I knew something was wrong when I was on my third book of the night and I could hear birds chirping outside, and I still didn't feel the least bit tired. What? It didn't make any sense to me… Checking my clock, it was only 5:30. I could finish this one up before training.

* * *

Training was… weird. It all started out the same, me being the first there, then Sasuke-kun, then Naruto. But, strangely, though I still felt attracted to Sasuke-kun, it wasn't… overshadowing everything else, if that makes any sense. Normally, I'd run over and say hi immediately, but… I didn't. I just clearly thought out how Sasuke would react to that, so I didn't. I knew he wouldn't like it. Just the same with Naruto. He was still kinda annoying… but not as much he had been yesterday, even though he was doing the exact same thing. And I wasn't getting super mad at him over really small things. It was unusual, but I liked it. Naruto being less annoying, and I know how to approach Sasuke-kun better? Score!

The weirdest bit though was the actual training part of it. It was the same as always, running laps and target practice, but as I was throwing kunai and shuriken, a funny little box popped up in front of me.

**Continuous work on your aim has caused your DEX to increase by one!**

I checked my status thingy, and sure enough, my DEX was now 6. And funnily enough, I hit more targets from then on. This game thing was really persistent. I'm sure it was someone playing a joke… but not getting tired was weird. And now I suddenly was calm around Naruto and… thought things through with Sasuke-kun? I checked the description of Gamer's Mind again, quickly, and it was right there, plain as day. I was definitely exhibiting the signs of it actually affecting me. And if that was real… then that meant all of it was. That was mindblowing, purely because it meant not only did I not have to sleep, but I was healed for it, too! But, thinking of the Gamer's Body, it still confused me. What did living life like a game actually mean? It was irritatingly vague… maybe it only referred to not sleeping. I dunno; I didn't really understand it, and I wouldn't pretend to. It'd clear itself up in time. Probably. And that's if this stuff really was real, and it was permanent! Although… I did think it was pretty cool.

So after all that, I decided to act as if this was real, and that it was to stay. No point going against it if I couldn't see a reason for me to, or a way to get out of it. So I Observed the rest of my team.

**The Last Uchiha  
LV 9  
Uchiha Sasuke**

**Number One Hyperactive, Knucklehead Ninja**   
**LV 5**   
**Uzumaki Naruto**

**?  
LV ?  
Hatake Kakashi **

Whoa. They were that level, and I was only at level _one_! Naruto, _Naruto_ , the guy who almost didn't even become a ninja, was 5 times my level! I couldn't even see Kakashi-sensei's level, he was that much stronger than me. And they had cool titles, too – well, except for Naruto, and I guess Kakashi-sensei too, given I couldn't, y'know, see it – while I was just stuck with 'The Gamer'. I've never played a videogame in my life, goddammit. But, uh. I could clearly see where the weak link in the team was, at least right now. And as much as I didn't like training, I didn't like being _twelve times_ weaker than Naruto of all people even more. I had some work to do. So I went up to Kakashi-sensei.

"So, sensei? Um, I was thinking about how I could become stronger? And I was wondering if you had any ideas about what I could do."

Kakashi-sensei looked at me, and did that little eye-smiley thingy he does, before responding. "You're actually in a very unique position, Sakura. You have excellent chakra control, and while you have a small chakra pool, that can easily be fixed. You could become a master genjutsu mistress, or a ninjutsu specialist, or a wonderful field medic. But you're also on the cusp of puberty, which means it's the perfect time for your muscles to truly develop. Of course, you'll be at a disadvantage against those who have been at it for longer than you, but you could easily move into the more physical arts of taijutsu and kenjutsu. I can help you with all of them, but… there are better teachers than me in Konoha. My advice to you? Don't overspecialise. Become a jounin genjutsu mistress that can match one of the Seven Swordsmen in kenjutsu. Be a master taijutsu specialist that uses defensive ninjutsu to defend against long range fighters. Make sure you always have an option, no matter who you come up against."

Wow. That was… a lot. I should've expected something like that, though, considering he is meant to be one of the Leaf's best ninja. "Well… can you help me with all four?"

"I can give you a scroll for genjutsu, and exercises to help with your chakra capacity for ninjutsu. The academy style doesn't really suit you, and before you learn kenjutsu, you'll need to pick a weapon that you want to learn first. But Might Guy is our premier taijutsu expert. He can help you. And there are many kenjutsu masters, like Uzuki Yuugao, and Gekko Hayate. I would ask around."

"But you're my sensei."

"So? That doesn't mean I'm the only one allowed to teach you. I have the final say in what you are taught, yes, but you can go and seek out other instruction."

"Okay." I smiled. "Thanks, Kakashi-sensei."

* * *

Sitting on my bed, I sighed, staring out the window. Kakashi-sensei made it sound easy! I found Might Guy just fine, but he refused to teach me formally, unless I would like to join his personal training with one of his students. After seeing what they were doing, I vehemently refused – that stuff was insane! He agreed to give me a few pointers, and once I was 'ready', to help me pick out a style for me to use, but that was it. Gekko-san was apparently on a long-term mission, and I couldn't find any records whatsoever on Uzuki Yuugao's whereabouts, only that she was a kenjutsu mistress, like Kakashi-sensei had said. And there was no way I could afford anything even resembling a practical weapon, let alone one made out of chakra conducting materials, which I would definitely need if I was gonna be serious with my kenjutsu. It was frustrating. But, I suppose, I have that scroll Kakashi-sensei gave me. I pulled it out, unrolling it to begin reading the contents, when a window popped up.

**Would you like to learn the skill 'Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings'? Y/N**

That was… actually to be expected, considering how the game-thingy already treated my skills. I of course tapped yes, and watched, as the scroll dissolved into blue light, and information suddenly flooded into my brain.

**Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings (Active) LV1 EXP: 0.00%**

**Casts a veil over a defined area, changing its appearance. Anyone who steps into the area of effect falls under the genjutsu, and it cannot be disrupted from an outside source. However, those with sufficient skill can see through the illusion.  
Casts an illusionary veil over a defined area. Area of effect is variable. Maximum area of effect radius: 25 meters.**

Interesting. Seems like it could be useful, but… it wasn't really a battle technique. I suppose Kakashi-sensei wanted me to get used to genjutsu as a whole first, before giving me an actual fighting technique to learn. I can understand that. One… slight problem, however. No handseals were listed in that description, and with the scroll gone, I certainly couldn't use that to learn them… Dammit. But the ability clearly saw it as being learnt… On a whim, under my breath, I whispered the name of the technique, staring at the street outside my house, and visualising a bench in one of the bare spots beside the road. I was far outside the listed maximum radius, but, somehow, a ghostly, translucent image of the wooden bench appeared, right where I wanted it. And, as I saw a civilian come puffing down the road, look at it, and sit, only to fall through it completely, I shut off the technique.

I could use a technique I never had even used before without handseals, without any trouble. Was that just because I was good at genjutsu? Or… was it another part of the ability? Quickly, I tested out the other skills I had access to, achieving the same result. It was… insane. I'd never have to spend time learning or practicing handseals! And that may sound like it would have little to no effect, but considering that that is what ninja, on average, spend the most time on? It propelled me forward in ways that my raw stats couldn't express. It meant I could respond instantly with any technique I knew without even thinking about it. It was amazing. …Of course, though, for it to be any use, I'd need skills that could actually make a difference in most fights… I still had a long way to go.


	2. Experience

**A Life of its Own, Prologue  
**

**This Game of Life, Chapter 1**

**Experience**

In the next few days, I discovered some other things about my power, and I also researched games as a whole. It seems that my ability is based on roleplaying games, and it has all of the common features that those sorts of games show. There was even a quest system, as I found when we went to complete missions. But, they gave paltry rewards, even for me, a level one character. I suppose that was because they were D-ranks. I couldn't really expect them to make me rich and powerful, not when all the quest was is to paint some old man's fence. One good thing I noticed, though? I got double payout for missions. The quest rewards and the payment from the village for completing the mission were entirely separate. It didn't look like money would be much of an issue once I really got going, so that was nice, at least. What wasn't nice? It'd been a week, and I'd barely improved.

 **Name: Haruno Sakura** **  
****Class: The Gamer** **  
****Level: LV 1** **  
****HP: 100/100** **  
****MP: 50/50** **  
****STR: 11** **  
****VIT: 5** **  
****DEX: 7** **  
****INT: 26** **  
****WIS: 10** **  
****LUK: 10** **  
****Points: 0**

I suppose that could have to do with how little I was training. I'd thoroughly tested, and I knew now that I didn't have to sleep if I didn't want to. That gave me a whole extra 8 hours to train, effectively multiplying the size of my day by one and a half, but… I wasn't using it. I was just spending the time reading, and while that had helped, seeing as my INT had risen… I could be doing more. Right now, I'm only training with my team… But oh well. I'm still a genin. I won't be getting into any super tough fights for a while. I can keep on like this. My skills haven't really improved much, either… Actually, wait! I did get a new one, though it wasn't mentioned with any fanfare or anything.

 **Chakra Enhancement (Active/Passive) LV 1 EXP: 63.57%** **  
****The manifestation of one's physical and mental halves. A power that allows mankind to break through their limits and become truly powerful. Stat increases depend on the amount of MP.** **  
****Passively increases STR by 30%.** **  
****Passively increases DEX by 30%.** **  
****Passively increases VIT by 30%.** **  
****Passively increases INT by 30%.** **  
****Passively increases WIS by 30%.** **  
****Additional 30% increase to STR when activated.** **  
****Additional 30% increase to DEX when activated.** **  
****Additional 30% increase to VIT when activated.**

I noticed I had it when I was checking my skills just yesterday. It just seemed to be the effects of chakra on the human body in skill form, so really, I've had it since I activated my chakra when I was a kid, it's just documented now. And of course, its effects become stronger as my chakra does. Simple, really. But, speaking of chakra… It's felt… weird, ever since I got my power. Not in a bad way, it's just… different. Before, it was… natural, I suppose? It was my body's latent energy made manifest, but just flowed through my body naturally, like blood in the circulatory system. But now… it doesn't flow, as much as it just permeates my body. My control over it is better than it was before, and I can feel the power right beneath my skin, a pool of energy just waiting to be unleashed. And somehow… I feel as if I can do so much more with it than I could before. The feel of it is so different, it's as if… as if it's a completely different type of energy entirely. But that's impossible… right?

* * *

I was so absorbed in my thoughts, I slammed into someone as I was walking. They fell back, and I instantly went to help them up. "Oops, sorry… Wasn't looking where I was going."

As I saw that purple hair and her eyes, I pulled my hand back. "On second thought, though, I think you deserved it."

The girl jumped up to her feet, fire in her eyes. "Oh yeah!? You think you're so much better than me, Forehead? Just because you got a jounin sensei!? Well, that doesn't mean shit! I'm still better than you. Always have been, always will be."

"That so, Ami? Because you don't look it."

**No One's Little Baby Bear  
LV 4  
Kokuma Ami**

"You wanna bet? I could take you on! Right now!"

"Ha! Yeah, right! I've left you way behind!" All kidding aside, though… she was level four. I was still level one. She could probably easily mop the floor with me. Although that meant she was also weaker than Naruto… I feel slightly less embarrassed about that now. …But I can't back down from this. She and Ino'd never let me live it down… But if I lose, it'll be even worse. One of Hakate Kakashi's students, beaten by someone in the reserves… That'd be bad for me, and my team… Damn, so I have to win. That'll be… difficult.

"Then let's go! We'll see who's better!"

"You're on, Bear-chan!"

"Don't call me that, you bitch!"

* * *

I stood opposite her, on a training field. I really should've been feeling nerves by now, but… I was totally calm. The Gamer's Mind was damn useful. "Ready to go?"

"Of cou-" As soon as the words left her mouth, I dashed off into the underbrush. In a straight up fight, I'd lose. Ami had always been better at pure taijutsu, and Gai-sensei had yet to show me much of anything. I could hear her cursing me out for running, but whatever worked worked. She has to learn that if she wants to be a kunoichi.

* * *

It'd been a few minutes. Ami hadn't even started to go looking for me yet. I know, I'd been watching her for most of the time since I left. I looked around, searching for some means of attack… Oh, yeah. That'd do nicely. Casting the Clone technique, having it jump out from the trees in front of Ami, and charge her, caused her to rush forward to meet it. I quickly cast False Surroundings, making it seem like there was a lot more underbrush, enough to hide my approach. She dealt with the clone quickly, unsurprisingly. I flung a kunai from the branch I was watching from, and quickly moved into the genjutsu covering. She was looking in the opposite direction, at where I had thrown the weapon from. I palmed another kunai, ready to grab her and hold it at her throat-

Whoa! I quickly bent back, just in time to dodge Ami's kick. I forgot. It was an environmental genjutsu, but it wasn't auditory. She heard me approach. I jumped back into the genjutsu underbrush.

"You think I'll fall for that, huh?" She brought her hands together for the genjutsu release, perfoming it perfectly, and waited, as nothing happened. "What!?"

I smirked. It was environmental, with an area of effect. Since it wasn't therefore centred on her, she couldn't disrupt it like that. She'd need to disrupt my chakra system to do that. End result? She wasted some chakra, and still couldn't see me.

"Well, if you won't come out, I'll come to you!" She shouted, rushing recklessly into the illusionary foliage. That was a mistake. I wasn't nearly as handicapped here as she was. I could see both the genjutsu and reality as its caster, so… As soon as she was in the thick of it, I slammed her with the strongest punch I could throw without a follow through, and faded away so she couldn't retaliate. I noticed a box pop up.

**A skill has been created through a special action! Through the use of powerful strikes, the skill 'Power Strike' has been created!**

So skills could come about like that, huh? Interesting. I guess that meant I could make my own. That'd be cool. I quickly read the description, it was nothing special. Just basically an enhancement I could throw onto physical attacks. I tested it out next time I hit Ami. It definitely felt like I hit her harder, so I guess it worked. I managed to get in one more hit-and-fade before she retreated out of my genjutsu. She looked worse for wear. I'd split her lip, and her eye was already starting to bruise. But she just looked angry, not defeated. So I was surprised when she surrendered.

I released False Surroundings, approaching her. "Why'd you forfeit? You could've easily kept going."

She eyed me, before sighing, slumping into a sitting position. "It wouldn't have mattered. You'd have beaten me anyway. It just became a battle of attrition, one I couldn't win if I couldn't hit you. And it's so goddamn frustrating! I've seen you train! I felt your punches! I _know_ I'm stronger than you are! So why!?"

I looked at her, before looking away, embarrassed. "If it helps, I could tell you were stronger before we even fought. But brute strength isn't everything, Ami. As you've just seen."

She spat on the ground, her saliva tinged pink with blood. "I know that. It doesn't make this any less fucking annoying!" She yelled, punching the ground in anger.

Seeing her like that, so rightfully angry… It actually made me feel bad. She had put in a lot of effort into becoming stronger, and then I come along, with almost no real dedication to my training, and beat her almost effortlessly. And why? Just because I was the lucky one. I was the one who got a jounin sensei, and wasn't put into the reserves. "Look, Ami. I'm sorry, okay? I can see that you've put so much more effort into this than I have… I actually feel kinda bad for doing this to you."

"I don't need your pity-"

"And I totally agree. But what you could do with is a sparring partner. And a friend, too. And that benefits the both of us." My hand reached out to help her up.

She looked at it, then at me. She took it, standing up. "I'll think about it. Help me get cleaned up. It's only fair, seeing as you fucked me up in the first place."

I smiled. "Sure thing."


	3. Friendship

**A Life of its Own, Prologue**

**This Game of Life, Chapter 2**

**Friendship**

Ami and I went over to her house, where I did help her get cleaned up, as I had agreed to. We chatted quite a bit. We weren't quite friends, not really. She still kind of hated me, actually. At least, that's what it seemed like to me. But she was willing to set aside our past for something that was mutually beneficial. And that was fine with me. I didn't necessarily want to be friends with her, she still wasn't a very nice person, or a very good one, in my opinion. So we weren't friends. Not acquaintances either, though. We knew each other too well for that.

"What's going on in that huge head of yours, Pinky? You aren't paying attention to anything." Yeah, like that. She could tell I was thinking. Definitely not acquaintances.

"Just trying not to choke from your smell, Bear-chan."

"Tch." She scoffed, spitting on the ground. I mean, it was her bathroom, so… Whatever.

"Do you even have a sensei?"

"No one'd take me, the blowhards. The only reserve from our class that has been picked is Namiki. I think by now everyone else's dropped out of the ninja programme altogether. What with having, like, 7 noble clan heirs in our class?"

"Six." I softly corrected. "Kiba isn't the heir to the Inuzuka, and Sasuke technically isn't the Uchiha heir, either. Having eight head family clan children though, I can see why that might discourage a few people."

"Whatever, it all means the same thing. You, Uzumaki and I, we're the only ones left without their advantages. So we've gotta work together to make sure we keep up."

"I'm not sure if Naruto'll need the help. He's already better than you are in a straight up fight."

"Eh? And how the hell would you know that? We barely fought, and I haven't sparred with Uzumaki in ages."

"Just trust me on that one. I have a certain… knack, for sizing people up at a glance." Ami grumbled, but didn't comment further. I idly ran my hand through my hair. I haven't been keeping as good care of it as I should be. Although, I haven't really felt the urge. Impressing Sasuke with my looks has been more of a general thing to keep in mind rather being the first and foremost thing to care about in the world, although it's still important. "How many people did you ask to be your sensei?"

"A couple of jounin and tokubetsu from my clan. They all turned me down. Said I wasn't good enough."

"Why not a chunin?"

"You serious? Why would I waste time with the small fry when I can get straight to the good shit?"

"Isn't small fry better than nothing at all?" She didn't respond for a while.

"Fine. I'll ask a chunin, or one of the more experienced genin if they turn me down. Happy?"

"As long as you become a better sparring partner."

* * *

I did actually want her to become better. After all, genin reserves were called that for a reason. As much as I didn't really like her, I still didn't want her to die on her first mission, or anything like that. The second reason was admittedly, entirely selfish. I had gotten experience from that fight. Enough, in fact, to push me over the threshold into my second level.

 **Name: Haruno Sakura** **  
****Class: The Gamer** **  
****Level: LV 2** **  
****HP: 100/100** **  
****MP: 50/50** **  
****STR: 11** **  
****VIT: 5** **  
****DEX: 7** **  
****INT: 26** **  
****WIS: 10** **  
****LUK: 10** **  
****Points: 5**

I glanced at the status screen. From what I had read, these points were a common feature – they allowed me some control over how I grew in strength. The only question was – how should I use them? Should I raise my flagging physical stats? Increase my relatively sky-high INT? Increase my WIS to better know how to use that intelligence? Or become luckier? There were so many options.

In the end, though… I decided that at least for now, focusing on my strong points was best. However, since INT and WIS went hand in hand… I dumped all five points into WIS. My MP went up after I did, too, so it seemed that INT was linked to chakra control, and WIS to chakra capacity. Makes sense. Explains why my chakra control was so good, with my super high INT for a level 2.

It wasn't that large of a difference, though. I had thought it'd be a pretty big boost, seeing it was a pretty large boost to my starting WIS, but nope. It seemed to be an exponential scale, not a linear one. Which was fine, actually. It'd take longer to get stronger, but at the end of it all, I'd be even better than I would've been. How strong that was exactly though, I didn't know. Not yet, anyway.

* * *

The days went by like they normally had, with the added addition of sparring with Ami every once in a while. She definitely found a sensei, because she had risen in level, and beat me every time. Good for her, but unluckily for me, the experience I gained was drastically reduced because I lost each bout. Which kinda sucked. I was getting stronger, slowly, but I could easily see that levels were where I'd gain the most raw stats, and skills were what I needed to use them to best effect. I was levelling up my skills, and my base stats were increasing, but it was definitely slow going. Kakashi-sensei said my progress was admirable… for a genin. So, pretty awful. Naruto and Sasuke-kun didn't get that from him. It kinda sucked. But what could I really do?

* * *

Two weeks after he gave me that advice, Kakashi-sensei asked to see my False Surroundings. From using it a few times more on Ami, and in my own practice, I had gotten it to level 5. He seemed impressed when I showed him. "Very good. Work on it a bit more. Two more weeks and I'll give you a new jutsu."

I deflated a tad. I thought he was coming over to give me a new one now…

* * *

After that, I sat on my bed, thinking hard. Just waiting for Kakashi-sensei wasn't good enough. I'd never catch up at that rate. But how else could I gain skills... Wait. I remembered when I fought Ami, a skill had been created. Power Strike. I'd just accepted it then, and then just thoughtlessly used it since. But, why had it suddenly shown up? Was it simply because I… Actually, yes, it must've been. I had consciously concentrated chakra into my fist for that attack, and the moment it landed, I had the skill box pop up. And it specifically said that the skill had been created by a special action, in this case a chakra enhanced attack. So… if I could think up special moves and execute them, I could gain new skills that way. But… what could I do?

After a few days of constantly having that thought in the back of my mind, the only idea I had had was the one that had made me decide to put my points into WIS – to play to my strengths. In other words, something involving chakra control. Technically, that's all Power Strike was – internal chakra control. So, to balance that out... I'd make something involving external control. I put my hand out, trying to form a ball of chakra, forcing it to form above my hand. Some chakra began to coalesce, but it quickly fizzled out. Well, it looked like I had a challenge on my hands.

* * *

It took a lot longer than I thought it would to form a stable ball of chakra, long enough that Kakashi-sensei had already given me a new genjutsu by the time I had figured it out.

**Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique (Active) LV1 EXP: 0.00%  
The user casts an illusion created from the target's nightmares, showing them scenes of their deepest fears.  
Ensnares a target in an illusion from their subconscious. Paralyses a target who does not realise it is an illusion.**

But it had worked. I had the ball, and I gained a new skill of my own creation!

**Magic Bullet (Active) LV1 EXP: 0.00%  
The user forms a bullet of pure energy and fires it. Although it is weak, it is incredibly adaptable. Damage increases with level. Damage increases with INT and WIS.  
Deals non-elemental damage.**

* * *

Having both of these under my belt now, I walked into the usual training ground with some new confidence. Ami was already there, as usual.

**No One's Little Baby Bear  
LV 5  
Kokuma Ami**

"Ready, Forehead?"

"You know it, Bear-chan!"

She charged me, as per usual. But this time, I stood my ground. I could tell it surprised her, because she slowed for a second, and then I acted, rushing her, and vaulting over her. A Magic Bullet formed in my hand, and I threw it right at her back. She stumbled, whipping her head back and glaring at me, before retreating a bit. It had seemed to annoy her more than deal damage, disappointingly. It was annoying, but expected. I cast Hell Viewing on her to buy more time, but she froze. And then she _screamed_. I dispelled the technique immediately, but she was already on the ground, in tears. And if she was in tears, then well. I definitely did something bad.

* * *

I took her home. She was almost inconsolable, and her father's eyes hardened when I had told him what happened. He was definitely angry, but… oddly, not at me, even though it was my fault. He was definitely focused on someone else. Perhaps the person that caused Ami's fear. I don't even know what she saw. I was focused on her, and then I was focused on dispelling the technique. I still felt awful. When I asked if there was any way I could help, he gave me an once-over.

 **?  
** **LV ?  
** **Kokuma Shin**

"You're my daughter's friend, yes?"

"W-Well, I wouldn't really-"

"Good! Then I need you to try and help calm her down and tell her what happened when she does. I need to have a word with someone, so I'll see you later." And he left without another word. I sighed. Just my luck.

* * *

Their house was pretty big, although that wasn't really a surprise. The Kokuma were a minor clan of merchants and shinobi, and Kokuma Shin – Ami's father – was the head of the shinobi branch, although he was retired now.

I took her up to her room, and tried talking to her, to get her to stop crying. But she barely even responded. Idly, I wondered if what she had seen had had something to do with her mom. She'd died when we were much younger. Apparently it had been due to a 'clan dispute'. That's as much as anyone had managed to get out of Ami about it in years. She really hated talking about it.

* * *

After ten minutes or so, the crying seemed to slow, and eventually stopped. I, of course, started talking. "Are you okay, Ami? You suddenly screamed in our spar, and started crying, so I-"

"Yeah… I remember." She quietly stated, looking haggard. "Thanks for helping me out, Sakura."

If her face hadn't tipped me off, now I'd know she wasn't okay. I don't think she'd ever called me Sakura before in her life. "Hey, Ami, are you sure you're-"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Where's my dad." Her voice was completely flat. I couldn't detect any emotion in it whatsoever, and it frightened me a bit.

"He left. He said he had to talk to someone."

"…Fine." She stated, getting up. "You can go home. I'll see you when I see you."

"No, I'll wait. At least until your dad comes back. I'm a bit worried about you."

At that, I saw a flicker of emotion in her eyes. But it died almost instantly, and she smiled, but her eyes kept their dead look. "I can take care of myself, Forehead. I'm not a damn kid." There wasn't any fire to her words, no real emotion. She definitely wasn't okay, and I couldn't leave her alone like that.

But it didn't seem like she was giving me a choice.

"Seriously, Sakura. Thank you for the help. I'm okay now, so you can go and get some rest. I'm sure that taking care of me tired you out, so please." It's really weird that emotionless Ami seems to care about me a lot more than regular Ami does.

"I'm fine, Ami. I just want to be sure that-"

"I am fine, Sakura. Go home."

"Ami-"

"If you're my friend, you'll respect my wishes." That one through me for a loop. She considered us friends?

"Ami, I can't leave you like this."

"…So you're not my friend. Good to know. Fine, whatever. Do as you like." What had been emotionless before suddenly grew cold. Had I really just made her dislike me by staying here?

"Ami, a good friend wouldn't leave you here when you're so clearly not okay."

"Yes. And a real friend would listen to me and respect my decisions, no matter how stupid they may sound. So, Sakura. Are you a good friend, or a real one?"

That question stumped me. I didn't want her to be alone, but on the other hand, she really wanted to be. I…

"…Fine. I'll go. But you better come over to my house later so I can see that you're okay."

She smiled then. Really, actually smiled. "Thank you. I'll do that."

I nodded, and left.


	4. Excitement

**A Life of its Own, Prologue  
**

**This Game of Life, Chapter 3**

**Excitement**

I put my worries over Ami in the back of my mind. I had more important things to focus on, cold as that may sound, and we weren't close, anyway. _Even though she's probably the person my age who knows me best right now._ I ignored the thought. There was nothing I could do for her, and even if there had been, she clearly hadn't wanted me to do it. I just ignored it by throwing myself into training with my team, which garnered raised eyebrows with… well, everyone. I had been training harder, sure, but that didn't say much when before I'd barely finish our set of laps before swooning over Sasuke-kun for the rest of the day. So for me to suddenly throw myself into training with determination that rivalled Naruto's, even if only for one day… People got suspicious.

"What's up with you, Sakura-chan? I swear you hated training like this!"

I rolled my eyes at his annoying – but true – statement. "People are allowed to change, Naruto. I've just decided to finally give this my all."

"People change, true. But not as fast as you have." I turned, looking at Kakashi-sensei. He was staring at me, and I couldn't figure out if he was trying to dissect me like that, or if he was just miffed he wasn't reading his book. "Are you trying to run away from something, perhaps? You're throwing yourself into training to avoid thinking about it?"

I gaped. He'd got it in one. Was I that easy to read..? "…Yes, sensei. It is something like that."

"Well, I won't pry. But I can tell you this. Running away from things won't magically fix them. You'll have to face whatever it is eventually. Got it?"

"Yes, sensei."

"Good." I nodded, and turned to go back to training. "Oh, and Sakura? I hope that you don't let yourself down in your training. That would be a waste." Kakashi-sensei said, returning to his book.

"What did that mean?" Naruto wondered aloud.

"He means that he expects me to keep training like I have been today. He won't do anything if I don't, but he'd be disappointed. And he has a point…"

 **Name: Haruno Sakura** **  
****Class: The Gamer** **  
****Level: LV 2** **  
****HP: 160/160** **  
****MP: 60/60** **  
****STR: 12** **  
****VIT: 8** **  
****DEX: 10** **  
****INT: 26** **  
****WIS: 15** **  
****LUK: 10** **  
****Points: 0**

I was a lot stronger than I had been. And today alone had already gotten me two stat-ups, and netted me these…

**Physical Endurance (Passive) LV3 EXP: 32:38%  
One's ability to endure attacks from others. Damage resistance increases with level.  
Decreases damage from physical attacks by 6.25%.  
Decreases damage from elemental attacks by 4%.**

**Taijutsu Mastery (Passive) LV2 EXP: 21.83%  
One's ability in the art of taijutsu, and various other martial arts and hand to hand techniques. Damage increases with level.  
Damage dealt by physical attacks done with the body increases by 5%.**

I wondered briefly why Taijutsu Mastery never appeared in my spars with Ami, but then I realised that all I had really hit her with were sloppy punches and weak kicks, with no real form, or grace. I suppose my powers wanted me to be fighting with at least a semblance of whatever ability it was going to grant to me. Which was fair enough. "Naruto, let's have another spar!"

"Huh? Uh, I don't wanna fight you, Sakura-chan-" I sighed, grabbing his arm and pulling him to the clearing that our team used for sparring. Sasuke-kun was there already, practicing fire jutsu off to the side. I felt his eyes on me for a second, and my face heated up. I tried to ignore the butterflies that rose in my stomach. It'd been a while since he had that effect on me. It wasn't… entirely unwelcome, but it was annoying. I had a spar to focus on, dammit!

…Where did that outburst come from? Anyway, I looked at Naruto, making some distance in between us. "Come on, you idiot. Time to fight!" I shouted, rushing him. It caught him off guard, I think, and I slugged him right in the jaw with a Power Strike, knocking him on his ass. I bounced up and down waiting for him to get up, feeling strangely full of energy. And I had the perfect punching bag to take it out on! …Wait, what-

In my moment of confusion, Naruto created 5 clones. I registered them dully, but I was thinking back to what had just flitted through my mind. Naruto? A punching bag? Two of the clones came at me. About damn time, too! I hit one like I had the original, kicked another, and then cast my bush False Surroundings like I had against Ami.

**Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings has increased in level by 1!**

**Chakra Enhancement has increased in level by 1!**

I dismissed the windows with a snarl, even though it reminded me to activate Chakra Enhancement. Naruto and his clones looked confused, looking around, trying to find me. I threw a kunai at one, and I stuck him in the eye. Good thing that was a clone.

**A skill has been created through a special action! Through continuous use of ranged weapons, the skill 'Throwing Weapons Mastery' has been created!**

I growled, swiping away that window too. They were so annoying sometimes! I charged one of the clones once again, catching him off guard and dispelling him. The last one hit me, though, so I hit him back. Hard. When he dispelled, I shut off False Surrondings, and immediately got him with Hell Viewing. I rushed at him, knocked him down, dispelling my genjutsu, and held him down, a kunai to his throat. I grinned. "I win."

**Your level has increased by one!**

"Whoa." That's all he said. I think he was a bit overwhelmed.

Sasuke-kun just scoffed, but when I looked his way, he gave me a nod. I nodded back, and quickly looked away before he saw me blush like some pre-pubescent schoolgirl.

Wait, I… what? I got off Naruto, confused. Why was I-

"That was so cool, Sakura-chan! I barely knew what was going on!" I smirked.

"Heh, that's because I'm awesome."

"Hey, you wanna go on a date later?"

"I'll think about it." Wait, what? What am I saying? What's going on with me today? "Actually, no, not a date. I'll hang out with you, though." That's… better.

"Really!? AWESOME!"

"Hey, calm down, you idiot. Don't get too excited."

* * *

I trailed behind Naruto, lost in thought. What was going on with me? I was so aggressive when I was sparring with him, and I'm still not sure if I'm entirely in control of myself. But… I must be, right? The Gamer's Mind would protect me from any outside influences trying to control how I think. It must just be because I'm worried about Ami. That's the only explanation.

We passed by a clothes shop, on the way to what I assumed was Ichi-whatever, that ramen joint Naruto liked. "Hey, Naruto, can we go in here? I want to see what's inside."

He grinned at me. "Sure!"

* * *

I'd never actually been in here before. It seemed mainly to be formalwear, with stuff like irotomesode and kurotomesode kimonos dominating the main part of the store, but I could see more casual things at the back. I headed for there, looking around to see if there was anything that I might like, and my eyes were drawn to a pink scarf. It was lighter than my hair, light enough that it was almost white. It was rather small, small enough that if I wrapped it around my neck the ends of it didn't even hang down. I thought it looked great on me. "Naruto, how do I look?" I said, spinning around. "…Naruto? Hey, idiot, where are you?" He wasn't in the store. Did he ditch me? The storeowner had left, too… I marched out of the store, only to see the owner berating Naruto, and him looking miserable. What did he do?

I started going over to see what the idiot had done, when I saw the man raise his hand to slap Naruto. I ran over and caught it. "Hey, what the fuck!? What'd he do?" I yelled, barely restraining myself from punching the guy as hard as I could.

He scowled at me. " _Of course,_ the only person who would associate with _him_ is someone rude and disrespectful like you. That makes perfect sense." He snatched the scarf off my neck. "I'll be taking that back. One such as you doesn't deserve it."

"What the hell! I have the money to pay for that, why can't I have it?"

"Oh, really? You have 500,000 ryo?"

"The price tag says 50,000!"

"That was from yesterday's sale." He waved his hand dismissively. "Do you have the money or not, child?"

I growled. I fished out all the money I had and gave it to him. "Here."

He seemed surprised, taking it in stride. "Fine, take it." He said, returning the scarf. "I would say thank you for your patronage, but frankly, I don't want the likes of _you_ in my store ever again. Don't come back." And with that, he stalked off, going back into his store.

"Asshole." The two of us flatly stated, both of us looking at one other and laughing. "I'm flat broke now, Naruto. I don't think I can go for ramen with you."

"Don't worry about it! I'll pay!" I blinked at his generosity, but just shrugged.

"If you say so."

"Yeah! Where did you even get that much, anyway?"

"Oh, you know, my allowance and savings, stuff like that..."

* * *

"Welcome! Oh, hey there, Naruto-kun. Is she your friend?" said the woman at the counter of the ramen stand. Clearly, Naruto came here a lot, if they were so friendly with each other.

**The Ramenneur's Daughter  
LV1  
Ichiraku Ayame**

Naruto nodded, and opened his mouth. Instantly, I knew he was going to say something stupid.

"Yeah! She's my teammate and my gi-" I clamped my hand over his mouth.

"I'm his teammate." I drawled. "We're just hanging out together, nothing more."

She laughed. "I see. Well, what can I get for you two?"

"The usual!"

"One bowl of miso, please."

"Got it! Two bowls of miso, one tonkotsu, and one shio, coming up! Dad!" She shouted, going into the back.

I looked at Naruto. "Three is your usual? Really?"

"Yeah!"

I shook my head in wonder.

* * *

The ramen was pretty good. I don't even normally like it, but I enjoyed it from that place. I guess Naruto has good taste. He didn't even have to pay for me. The man – Teuchi – said that "First bowl's on the house for any friend of Naruto-kun's!" They clearly thought very highly of him. To be honest, I think that's the real reason he keeps coming back. They cared. And for someone like Naruto, that's a very rare and very valuable thing.

"Anything else you wanna do while we're out and about?"

"Not really, no."

"Alright. Walk me home." I stated roughly, starting on my way to my house, Naruto scrambling after me.

* * *

"I'll see you later. Don't get into trouble, alright, idiot?" I stated, outside my door.

He frantically nodded. "See you tomorrow, Sakura-chan!" I smiled at him, and headed inside.

"Sakura!" My mom called. "Can I talk to you for a bit?"

"Sure thing, mom!" I said, walking into the kitchen where she was washing dishes. "What's up?"

**Haruno Representative  
LV 2  
Haruno Mebuki **

She put down the dish in her hand, turning around to smile at me. "How was your day, dear?"

"It was okay. Trained pretty hard. Hung out with a friend afterwards."

"Mm, and where did you get that scarf? Did your 'friend' get that for you?"

"No, mom, I bought it myself."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"Aww, that's too bad."

I rolled my eyes. "I thought this was gonna be about something important."

"It is! Knowing how your day went is of the utmost importance to me!"

"Yeah, yeah. I ate while I was out, so don't bother making food for now. I'll say when I'm hungry."

"Okay. Honey, are you alright? You seem more… forceful."

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay, sweetie. Just making sure." I nodded, turning to go up to my room. "Say hi to Naruto-kun for me next time you see him!"

I rolled my eyes again. I knew she had been watching me.

* * *

I bounced on the balls of my feet, leaping up into a kick, then flowing into a leg sweep. Two punches, and then an uppercut. Right hook and a roundhouse kick. Idly, I wondered if shadowboxing would-

**Taijutsu Mastery has increased in level by 1!**

I dismissed the window with a smile, returning to my frenetic battle against an imaginary opponent. I still felt full of energy, and I needed a release for it.

"Go, Sakura! Show that air who's boss. You can do it!"

I turned, looking at who had walked in behind me. "Hey, Dad."

 **Proud Father**  
LV 18  
Haruno Kizashi

He came up to me and wrapped me in a bear hug. I decided to let him. He had just come back from a mission, after all. It was a B-rank, to be fair. Even though my dad's only a genin, and probably always will be, experience in the field means a lot. "How was the mission?"

"Same as always. Boring. I stayed with the client while the chunin dealt with any threats."

"That sucks. They should let you do something every once in a while."

"I know, right? Just because they're higher ranked."

"Hey, dad? Wanna spar with me after dinner?"

"Sure thing. I was wondering when you were gonna ask me something along those lines."

"Yeah, I-" I stopped, after hearing something hit my window. "Hold on, dad." I went to check who it was, my father following curiously behind me. I opened my window, and looked outside, to see Ami there, looking sheepish. "Oh, okay." I vaulted out of the window, landing in front of her. "Hey. You alright now?"

"Yeah… Listen, sorry about being such a wuss yesterday. And, uh, forget anything I said to you afterwards. I wasn't thinkin' straight."

"Oh, so we're not friends then? Disappointing."

"Huh? Uh." She blushed, hard. Was she actually embarrassed about this? "I mean, we can still be friends. If you want, that is."

"Oh, so I'm the dominant one in this relationship? Interesting, interesting."

She blushed again, and tried to respond, but only got more tongue-tied. "Alright, Ami. Friends. Wanna come in? Dinner'll probably be ready soon."

"Uh. Sure. Thanks, Sakura."

"Sure thing, Bear-chan."

"Stop calling me that, you bitch!"

Ahh, there she iis.


	5. Encounter

**A Life of its Own, Prologue  
**

**This Game of Life, Chapter 4**

**Encounter**

"So, you're one of Sakura's friends?" My mom asked. "Are you a ninja too?"

"Yeah, to both questions. I'm only in the reserves, though. My team got failed by my first sensei, and I was the only one who decided to stay in the ninja program."

"I see. Well, that's still very impressive for one as young as you! I heard on average it takes two or three tries just for someone to get in the reserves."

That's when I decided to chime in. "Yeah, our year was weirdly good. I mean, Naruto was our dead-last, and he was actually quite good when it came down to it, enough that either he was misplaced, or we were just good enough that 'good' for a regular year was 'bad' for us." _Which I don't believe for a second. I was awful when I left the academy, and I was top kunoichi. It doesn't make sense. Hinata, Aya-san, or Ino-pig should've easily been able to take that from me. Maybe how we were evaluated was just strange, or something like that._

Ami looked at me, and nodded. "Sakura's right, yeah. We had a really high number of clan kids, too. Maybe that contributed as well."

"Probably not as much as you think. If it was because of that, then only they would have been such high-quality ninja. But there's no real point to this. By the time another class graduates, we'll be much stronger anyways, so there's no point in comparing."

"Well," My father started, clearing his throat, "For what it's worth, your graduating class has some of the strongest chakra I've seen in rookies for years. The two of you, your chakra probably rivals last year's top kunoichi's chakra right now."

"Really? Maybe your senses are just out of whack, dad."

"Haha! Maybe they are, Sakura-chan." My dad rubbed the back of his head as he laughed.

My mom moved out of the room where we had been chatting, moving back to the kitchen to check on the food. "Hey, dad. What do you specialise in apart from sensing?"

"Hmm? Well, sensing requires a lot of control, so I have some skill in genjutsu and medical ninjutsu. I'm no combat ninja, though. Although I'm sure I could take you on any day of the week." He said, ruffling my hair.

"Medical ninjutsu, huh?" Ami asked, seeming pensive.

"You wanna learn that, Bear-chan?"

"Stop calling me that. And yeah, it seems kinda interesting."

My dad smiled. "I can give the two of you a book each on the basics. You might not have the control needed just yet, though."

I looked at Ami. She didn't seem opposed to the idea. I grinned at my dad. "Sure, dad. Why not?"

"Alright. I'll go get the books now." With that, he left, moving upstairs to get the books.

Ami and I sat in silence for a while, until she suddenly spoke up. "Your parents are nice."

"Your dad's pretty okay, too."

"Nah. He's annoying. And weird."

"You think my dad isn't?"

"Not as much as my dad."

"Just wait until you get to know him better. Then you'll see."

We would've continued, if not for my dad coming back with the books. "Here you are!" He handed a book to each of us, smiling as he did so. "Don't hesitate to come to me for help if you need it."

A window popped up as soon as I laid hands on the thing.

**You have obtained the skill book 'Basics of Medicine'.**

**Would you like to learn the skills in this book?**

I discretely tapped 'No', placing the book in my pocket. It wouldn't do to have the book disappear in a flash of light right in front of everyone. "Thanks, dad!"

"Everyone! Dinner's ready!"

* * *

Dinner was quick, since the portions were smaller than normal due to our unexpected guest. That was alright, though. Dad and I headed out to the garden to have our spar, and Ami and mom came out to watch.

"Alright, here are some rules! Taijutsu, genjutsu, and academy ninjutsu only. We don't want to mess up the garden with some elemental techniques, and using live weapons is just looking for someone to get injured. Alright, Sakura-chan?"

"Got it." I settled into the academy taijutsu stance – I've really got to take up Guy-sensei on his offer on finding a style sometime – and got ready for him to approach. He chuckled, flowing into his own stance, and not moving. I sighed. I charged him, putting up False Surroundings as I did so. I cocked my arm back for a punch… and was suddenly on the ground.

I leapt to my feet. "I thought you weren't a combat specialist? I didn't even see you move!"

"I'm not. That was me without holding back, you know. The fact you're fine after taking a hit like that should show you I'm not combat oriented."

He had a point. It was a lightning-fast attack, but it wasn't really any worse than a hit from Naruto, or Ami. So dad's stats leaned towards DEX, then? And INT, for his chakra-related abilities. This time, I began circling him warily, looking for a weak point in his defences, when my vision swirled. I instantly flexed my chakra, and released it, breaking the genjutsu. No skill pop-up? Oh well. With a start, I realised dad's fist was inches away from my face, and I darted away at the last second, retaliating with a Power Strike of my own. He dodged it as well, tilting his head back, and I retreated.

I cast Hell Viewing, but it just flowed off him like water. Suddenly, I was lifted off the ground with a monster of an uppercut, and knocked away with a roundhouse. I heard a noise of concern, but I wasn't sure if it was from Ami or from my mother. I tried to use the momentum of the kick to flip, and land on my feet, but my dad didn't let up. I hadn't even hit the ground before he was on me again, rearing back for a huge punch. I crossed my arms for a block, and successfully defended, although my flight got an extension.

**Physical Endurance has increased in level by one!**

I skidded across the garden, through a flower patch. Sorry, mom. I looked up at my dad. He seemed to be waiting. Well, technically, I unlocked my chakra in the academy, so… I activated Chakra Enhancement, and rushed at my dad in a burst of newfound speed, going as fast as I possibly could.

**Continuous pushing of your limits has caused your VIT to increase by one!**

**Continuous high speed movement has caused your DEX to increase by one!**

**A skill has been created through a special action! Through high speed, the skill 'Lunge' has been created!**

Well, this is already pretty lucrative! Dad seemed surprised by the sudden burst of speed, but still dodged, but I immediately Lunged at him again, and scored my first hit on him. He barely moved. I was expecting him to at least flinch, or something, but nothing. With my fist still in his face, my dad grinned at me. "Well done, Sakura-chan. You win!"

I stared at him. "Really? I don't remember me hitting you being the condition for my win."

"You think you can win any other way?"

I flinched. "Okay, true, but still, that's kinda the point of a spar."

"We can't have a full on spar here, Sakura. You know that."

"Ugh, fine." I relented, moving my fist away from my father's face. "Thanks for the spar, dad."

He smiled at me. My mom decided to speak up then. "Okay, I think that's enough excitement for one day. Sakura, why don't you take your friend home now?"

"No, I can walk myself home."

I turned to her, smiling. "Let me at least see you out."

"Fine."

* * *

I waved bye to Ami, standing at the half-way point between our houses. I smiled, and began walking home, pulling out Dad's book again. This time, I selected 'Yes' to the prompt, and as the book shattered into light and information flowed into my brain, boxes appeared in front of me, as always.

**You have obtained the skill 'Medical Mastery'.**

**You have obtained the skill 'Diagnosis'.**

**You have obtained the skill 'Mystical Palm Technique'.**

**Medical Mastery (Passive) LV1 EXP: 0.00%  
One's proficiency in the medical arts. Increases the effectiveness of medical techniques.  
Increases the healing of recovery techniques by 1%.  
Increases the chance of a successful diagnosis by 1%.  
Increases the chance of removing a negative status effect by 1%.**

**Diagnosis (Active and Passive) LV1 EXP: 0.00%  
The ability to detect what is wrong with a patient first from symptoms, and then by checking their body.  
Passively allows the skill 'Observe' to list status effects and HP of anyone lower level than yourself.  
Actively allows the user to check status effects, HP, and MP of anyone by touching them.**

**Mystical Palm Technique (Active) LV1 EXP: 0.00%  
The basic ninja technique for healing wounds, this skill is any medic-nin's bread and butter.  
Restores HP to whoever the user is laying hands on. Recovery increases with INT.**

Three skills, huh? Big payout for one book. And Diagnosis… Well, it wasn't checking out other people's stats, but it was pretty good. Any buff to Observe was appreciated.

* * *

We had a day off, seeing as Kakashi-sensei said we'd be taking two missions the day after, and we hadn't really had any time off yet. So, instead of training all the way through the night as I normally did – thanks, Gamer's Body – I actually went to sleep for once.

**You have slept in a bed! HP and MP restored, and negative status effects removed.**

That was an unfamiliar pop up. I closed it, and got dressed, preparing for a day of wandering the village. Maybe Ami'd wanna hang out. I doubt Sasuke would. Naruto'd definitely be up for it, but I'd just hung out with him the day before… Decisions, decisions. I was so lost in thought that I bumped into someone on the street. Again. Except this time, it was a little girl.

"Shit," I swore under my breath. I quickly went to help her up. "Are you okay?" I asked, worry lining my voice.

"I'm fine, Haruno-san." She said, picking up her glasses and wiping them on her shirt.

"Huh? Do I…" I looked up, at her name and title.

 **Lone Wolf**  
LV 10  
Namiki Aya

"Oh! Aya-san!" I said, surprised. I hadn't imagined running into her any time soon.

"Yeah, that's my name. If you don't mind…" She tried to slip past me, but I stopped her.

"It's been a while, Aya-san. How are you? I heard you were in the reserves, but you have a sensei."

"Yes, Yoshino-sensei."

"Yoshino?" I quickly went through a list of people, thinking of any Yoshino's that I knew of. "Nara Yoshino? Shikamaru's mom?"

"Mm. I have to go meet her now. Excuse me."

I watched, as she walked away to go train. She was still just as anti-social as she had been in the academy. Well, she didn't seem as prone to violence, at least. It seemed her sensei was a good influence. And she was the same level as Sasuke, as well, so she was tied for strongest in our graduating class right now. Damn, and she didn't even have a jonin-sensei. Though I suppose having a chunin who was focused solely on you was pretty comparable…

Hmm. I still have a lot of catching up to do, if I've only gained two levels in all this time… Although, my skills were all at quite high levels, relatively. Maybe that's what I should focus on. If I got more buffing skills, like Chakra Enhancement, I could stack all of them to artificially inflate my stats, and that would just make every base point I did gain even more valuable. Thinking about it, though, I was well on my way to that anyway. A lot of my skills involved passive bonuses that applied to my active skills. Chakra Enhancement was the only one that buffed my stats directly, sure, but since I would pretty much never not be using a skill, they were just as important.

Well. I think I know what I'm doing today.


	6. Research

**A Life of its Own, Prologue  
**

**This Game of Life, Chapter 5**

**Research**

Stepping into the jutsu library, I showed my headband to the secretary that guarded the genin section. She nodded, and I stepped through, to look at the various jutsu on display. Mainly, it was genjutsu and supplementary, weaker ninjutsu. Hmm. Maybe there would be something useful. There were a few taijutsu scrolls scattered around, and some kenjutsu scrolls, too. However, most of the taijutsu scrolls were available for all to look at, and kenjutsu, the best and most complicated genjutsu, and most ninjutsu C-rank and beyond were out of my reach, in the chunin and jonin sections.

I understood why, of course.

Letting a genin look at elemental jutsu unsupervised was just asking for trouble. How many cases of academy students and rookies burning off their own tongues would there be if the access to them was unrestricted? Taijutsu was much more lax, because while you could still hurt yourself with those arts, it was much harder, and the injuries less severe. And even then, the more dangerous and obscure taijutsu was kept here, or in the chunin section, when whoever was looking could be trusted to train right with them.

Speaking of, though… I looked through the genin and public sections, looking for taijutsu that interested me. I decided to actually read the scrolls, ignoring the popups asking me if I wanted to learn the styles, looking at what kind of style was actually described in each scroll. One caught my eye. Or, should I say, one series.

There was a single scroll describing the regular moves of the style, and then multiple describing more and more powerful specific techniques useable by practitioners. The style shouldn't have been in the genin section. The style itself and the first few special moves were fine, but the last ones? They, apparently, consumed chakra at such an intense rate, that they described a supplementary technique to directly convert lifeforce into chakra so regular people could actually use it for a reasonable amount of time. Apparently, the principle was based on something called the Celestial Gates, but it was at the same time safer and more dangerous. Apparently, it didn't damage the body nearly as fast as these gates, but this technique was regulated by nothing but the user and how far they thought they could go. It wouldn't shut itself off until the user said so… or until they were dead. And my ability wouldn't give a specific option to learn solely that technique… I suppose it fused it with the final techniques of the style.

Morbid. But… it was exactly what I wanted. It was a taijutsu style, so that was an auto-buff to my physical attacks. And almost all the skills were buffs… so… I took it.

**You have obtained the skill book 'Suzaku'. Would you like to learn this skill?**

**You have obtained the skill book 'Vermillion Bird's Wings'. Would you like to learn this skill?**

**You have obtained the skill book 'Vermillion Bird's Beak'. Would you like to learn this skill?**

**You have obtained the skill book 'Vermillion Bird's Grace'. Would you like to learn this skill?**

**You have obtained the skill book 'Vermillion Bird's Talons'. Would you like to learn this skill?**

**You have obtained the skill book 'Feathers of the Vermillion Bird'. Would you like to learn this skill?**

**You have obtained the skill book 'Dawn of the Vermillion Bird'. Would you like to learn this skill?**

**You have obtained the skill book 'Vermillion Bird of the South'. Would you like to learn this skill?**

I mashed yes to all of them, of course, making sure I was in a hidden corner.

**You have obtained the skill 'Suzaku'.**

**You have obtained the skill 'Vermillion Bird's Wings'.**

**You have obtained the skill 'Vermillion Bird's Beak'.**

**You have obtained the skill 'Vermillion Bird's Grace'.**

**You have obtained the skill 'Vermillion Bird's Talons'.**

**You have obtained the skill 'Feathers of the Vermillion Bird'.**

**You do not meet the requirements to learn this skill.**

**You do not meet the requirements to learn this skill.**

Whoa… Six skills… Before I checked them out, though, I checked the requirements for the two I wasn't able to learn, Dawn of the Vermillion Bird and Vermillion Bird of the South.

**You must reach these requirements to learn this skill:**

**STR - 50**

**DEX - 40**

**VIT – 30**

**INT – 30**

**You must reach these requirements to learn this skill:**

**STR - 80**

**DEX - 60**

**VIT – 45**

**INT – 50**

**WIS – 50**

Yikes. Definitely long term goals. Though I could hit Down's INT requirement with the points I have stored… Regardless, I got a huge payout.

**Suzaku (Passive) LV1 EXP: 0.00%  
The taijutsu style of the Vermillion Bird of the South, Tori Shuiro, also known as Suzaku. The style is named after his own moniker, as Suzaku never named his style whilst he was still alive.  
Decreases MP costs of all Vermillion Bird skills by 5%.  
Increases damage dealt by all Vermillion Bird skills by 5%.**

**Vermillion Bird's Wings (Passive) LV1 EXP: 0.00%  
The speed technique used by Suzaku, this technique is integral to the high speed, high power taijutsu style.  
Increases movement speed by 30%.  
Increases attack speed by 50%.**

**Vermillion Bird's Beak (Active) LV1 EXP: 0.00%  
The primary form of attack of Suzaku's style. The user strikes the enemy hard and fast, in a piercing motion.  
May pierce the enemy.  
Damage increases with STR and DEX.**

**Vermillion Bird's Grace (Active and Passive) LV1 EXP: 0.00%  
The ability granted by sheer practice of Suzaku's style, that allows practitioners to gracefully dance over the battlefield, like the bird for which the style is named.  
Passively increases DEX by 50%.  
Passively increases jumping distance by 100%.  
When active, increases DEX by a further 100%.**

**Vermillion Bird's Talons (Passive) LV1 EXP: 0.00%  
The art of sharpening chakra around one's hand, as taught by Suzaku to his followers. This way, it becomes possible to inflict bladelike wounds with one's bare hands.  
Increases martial arts damage by 30%.**

**Feathers of the Vermillion Bird (Passive) LV1 EXP: 0.00%  
The user's chakra wreaths them in a thin shroud of dense chakra, much like the feathers of a bird, to protect them from harm.  
Armor's strength and density increase with level.  
Armor's strength and density increase with INT.**

Wow. I'd already gotten what I wanted when I came here, passives to stack on myself, and I'd gotten them. The speed increase from Vermillion Bird's Wings was already significant, but then the DEX increases from Vermillion Bird's Grace… And Feathers increased my defence, not to mention Talons increasing my physical damage, which was my main source of attack, at least for now. It was amazing. And Vermillion Bird's Beak was definitely stronger than Power Strike, but unlike it, it was a specific attack, so it would definitely see less use. However, I think I can Power Strike when using it, so when I could use it, I definitely would. And Suzaku made everything stronger, too.

…Hmm. On a whim, I activated Grace, and Chakra Enhancement. I didn't have the MP to constantly use them, but… it would level them up faster. And if I happened to fight someone, then I'd already be ready. And with both activated, my DEX was actually now my best stat. By a lot. It was now effectively… um… 55.77, unless my powers truncated decimals. Then it would be 55, unless decimals were ignored in the equation entirely, in which case it would be 53… Regardless. It was a lot. Speaking of…

 **Name: Haruno Sakura** **  
****Class: The Gamer** **  
****Level: LV 3** **  
****HP: 180/180** **  
****MP: 60/60** **  
****STR: 12** **  
****VIT: 9** **  
****DEX: 11** **  
****INT: 26** **  
****WIS: 15** **  
****LUK: 10** **  
****Points: 5**

Now would be a good time to put those five points into a stat. The buffs from Suzaku's style tempted me to put them into DEX. Really, really tempted me. But… My strongest point was still my chakra, specifically my control. So I put the points into WIS again, pumping it up to 20. I felt my body flood with a bit more chakra, and smiled. I glanced at the clock. Finding the Vermillion Bird style had taken most of the day, so my parents would probably be wondering where I was, so I got up from the table I was at, and took a step.

If it hadn't been for Vermillion Bird's Grace, I would have fallen. Although, of course, it was because of it I would have fell in the first place. As it was, I merely stumbled. I was… unused to my body moving as it did. It was a tad more practiced, a bit more refined than I had been. I could tell about the effect my skills were having on me.

Which was great. Because if I could tell my skills were effecting me now, when my stats were tiny… As both their levels and my stats grew, they'd only become greater. And that, inexplicably, really made me smile.

* * *

I walked a bit faster than I was used to, so the next morning, a walk to the training ground that had been fifteen minutes two days ago became seven. Chakra Enhancement and Vermillion Bird's Grace were active, of course.

I stretched, bouncing on the balls of my feet as I waited for everyone to show up, my scarf still practically surgically attached to my neck. I was really fixing for a fight again. My blood was boiling.

Sasuke-kun showed up within five minutes of my arrival, and Naruto-chan within five minutes of that. Wait, Naruto-chan? …Yeah, sure. The idiot probably wouldn't even realise that it was an insult. Although, I guess it was a sign of affection, too. I briefly glanced him up and down. Nope. Nothing like what I felt for Sasuke-kun. I'm safe. I went to go talk to him, when a poof of smoke appeared in front of us, revealing Kakashi-sensei, who was reading _his fucking porn_ again. He really shouldn't do that in public, but no one told him off, what with him being an A-rank elite jonin and all.

"Hello, kiddies." He said, his visible eye doing that upside-down U thing. What was under that damn mask, anyways? I bet it'd be an anticlimactic reveal. "We're doing a mission today. Follow me. Try not to get lost down the road of life."

I rolled my eyes, shoving my hands in my pockets. Sasuke-kun reacted similarly, and Naruto-chan just yelled something at him. We all filed in, and went with him to the mission office, me focusing on controlling my speed to remain behind him.

* * *

As we were about to get doled another one of those shitty D-ranks, Naruto-chan yelled out. "I'm tired of doing these stupid D-ranks! Why can't we get a real mission instead?"

Sasuke-kun grunted in approval, and I spoke up as well. "Yeah, I agree with Naruto-chan. These D-ranks are pretty pointless."

Hokage-sama stopped, seeming to think about it. "Genin of Team 7." He spoke authoritatively. I straightened unconsciously, Sasuke-kun doing the same, although Naruto-chan remained unfazed by his tone. I looked straight at the man, he doing the same to us.

**?  
LV ?  
Sarutobi Hiruzen**

"You believe you're ready for a C-rank?"

"Hell yeah we are!"

"I agree."

"Hn."

"Kakashi?"

"In all honesty? They're probably overqualified for a beginner mission."

"I see." Hokage-sama sat back, taking a puff of his pipe. "Well then. If you believe you are ready, I won't stop you. I expect great things from you. The mission is to escort a bridge builder to his home in Nami no Kuni, and protect him and his family until the bridge is finished. The only resistance likely to happen is attacks from wild animals, and perhaps bandits." Looking to the chunin beside him, he nodded to them. "Bring in Tazuna-san."

A few moments after, a man walked in. I took a moment to look at him, as he took a swig from the bottle he held.

**Master Bridge Builder  
LV 1  
Tazuna**

He looked at us, and growled. "I pay so much money, and this is the team I get? Broody, Midget, and Tacky?"

The boys bristled at that, and inside, I got angry at the insult to my dress sense. However, for the sake of the mission, I remained calm, and spoke. I love Gamer's Mind. "We're sorry for not meeting your expectations, Tazuna-dono. In truth, we're a team still in training, but there is more to us than you might think from our appearances. And if any threats crop up that we are unable to handle, our sensei, Hatake Kakashi, is an elite jonin, the best of the best. You will be completely safe while under our protection, I can assure you that." I felt everyone in the room's eyes on me as I finished, apart from Tazuna himself, who seemed slightly embarrassed.

"Yes, well… I'm sure you will do a fine job. Come get me when it's time to go." He left quickly, and as everyone's subtle glances became more overt, I smirked.

"What? Butter up the client and they're more likely to come back. And I did my best in making our team sound as good as possible without leaking any info on our actual skills. Business as usual, no?"

Naruto-chan seemed confused, and Sasuke-kun silently approving. Hokage-sama spoke again. "I would work on that silver tongue, Kakashi. Diplomats are always appreciated."

I bowed, smiling. "Oh, please, Hokage-sama. You flatter me."

* * *


	7. Travel

**A Life of its Own, Prologue  
**

**This Game of Life, Chapter 6**

**Travel**

I walked home, to go quickly pack for the mission. I thought about what had just happened. Was I interested in becoming a diplomat? …As long as it didn't interfere too much with my other missions, I suppose it wouldn't be too bad. And it'd be an excuse to go to countries that I'd never go to for missions otherwise, like Tsuchi no Kuni, and places like that. I guess if the opportunity arose, well. I wouldn't say no.

* * *

"Mom! I'm leaving for a mission!" I shouted, as I neared the door on my way out. "I don't know how long it'll be. I'll see you when I get back."

"Wait, what? Sakura!" My mother said, quickly leaving the kitchen, coming over to me. "You're leaving the village?"

"Yup. My first C-Rank."

"Oh…" She said. She quickly engulfed me in a hug, which I returned. "Be safe, okay? And tell the same to Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun. Okay?"

"I will, mom. I've gotta go." I broke from the hug, waving at her, and ran out the door.

* * *

I ran full tilt. I was curious how fast I was with all these new buffs. I got to the gate in two minutes as a result, slowing as I approached it. Sasuke-kun, Kakashi-sensei, and Tazuna-san were all already there, so we only had Naruto-chan to wait for. I waited quietly, standing next to Sasuke-kun, who gave me a nod. I smiled at him in response, and he… I don't know. It looked like he tried to smile and scowl at the same time, or something. Whatever it was, he turned quickly.

* * *

Naruto-chan arrived not ten minutes later, and after asking if we were all ready, Kakashi-sensei turned and started walking. That's when I knew it would be a longer trip. I had prepared for that, but I didn't see why we couldn't just pick up Tazuna-san and take to the trees. It'd be so much faster. We formed a loose diamond formation around Tazuna-san, and he and sensei idly chatted.

* * *

We walked for hours, eventually passing a puddle. I paid it no mind, although I had a little niggling feeling that I should have Observed it. That feeling was right. Two people appeared from the puddle, and instantly, Kakashi-sensei was wrapped in a chain, and torn to shreds.

"One down," One of the enemy ninja – because what else could they have been – said.

I looked up just as Sasuke-kun did, seeing Naruto-chan freeze up in the corner of my eye.

**Demon Brother  
LV 13  
Gozu**

**Demon Brother  
LV 14  
Meizu**

I didn't even think about it. In an instant, a Magic Bullet formed in my left hand, that I unconsciously fed more and more chakra into. I Lunged at the one on the left – Gozu – as Sasuke-kun rushed the other. I slammed him with an uppercut before he could react, hitting with a Power Strike. It lifted him off the ground, and that's when I smashed my left hand into his abdomen, releasing the Magic Bullet. The Bullet exploded point-blank, and sent him flying… or would've, if Sasuke-kun hadn't just locked their chain in place. As it was, the momentum of the one I hit dislocated the other's arm with a pop, as he screamed, and probably did the same to mine, but my attack had already knocked him out.

Sasuke-kun knocked out his guy, as pop-ups appeared for me.

**Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one!**

**A skill has been created through a special action! Through manipulation of volatile mana, the skill 'Magic Blast' has been created!**

I skimmed over them quickly. Four levels and a new skill. Dismissing them quickly, I then refocused on the world around me. Kakashi-sensei appeared again. "Well. That was fast. Sakura."

"Yes, sensei?"

"The technique you used. What was it?"

"Oh, it was something I've been working on for a while. It's basically coalescing chakra over your hand into a ball." I demonstrated, forming another Magic Bullet. "It's meant to be fired, like this." I demonstrated, firing it into a tree. "I just… didn't think about it. I just slammed it into him instead of firing. I knew I'd be able to move faster than the attack, so…"

"I see. Create another one for me, please?"

"Sure." I created another one, the Bullet floating over my hand, and Kakashi-sensei approached me, studying it.

He looked at it for a solid minute, before I heard, "It's similar… but not the same." He stepped back, returning to his normal self. "Well! Well done on creating a new technique! That's incredibly difficult even at the best of change, so to do it now, even one as simple as that, is remarkable!" He did the eye thing at me, before looking at the ninja. "Unfortunately, you kids are too good. I wanted to see if they were after us, or after Tazuna. But you took them out immediately. Good work, by the way. So, as we don't know yet, you guys are going to get your first primer on interrogation!"

* * *

Kakashi-sensei removed all of the ninja's gear, before tying them both to a tree, leaving their dislocated arms free. He made a single handseal, seeming to hock something up in his mouth, cheeks swelling, before spitting a mouthful of water into Meizu's face. The ninja woke with a shock, before scowling. His mask had been removed, so it was clear for us to see.

"So! You know me, I don't know you, and I don't care to know you, so let's skip the introductions, shall we? Why did you attack us?" Meizu didn't say a word. "Was it simply for my bounty? Because you should've realised that it would be a bit harder to collect than that." Again, he didn't talk. Sensei shrugged. He grabbed Meizu's arm, and simply started pulling. Meizu grit his teeth, fighting the urge to scream from the pain.

"I'll just keep pulling until I get my answer, you know." Kakashi-sensei calmly stated. Naruto-chan looked away. He definitely wasn't the type to like torture. From the stuff I'd heard and read about, this was relatively tame, even. Tazuna-san wasn't even looking to begin with. Kakashi-sensei just kept pulling, and pulling. Meizu eventually started to scream, but still refused to talk. Eventually, Kakashi-sensei dropped his arm, the enemy ninja panting and sweating. "Maybe your partner will be more cooperative." He made the handseal for that water jutsu, when-

"Wait. Don't… I'll tell you. Our target… it was the bridge builder."

"Well, that's all I needed to know." Suddenly, Meizu was out like a light again. I saw Kakashi-sensei's hand for a literal instant, against Meizu's head, and then he was unconscious. Sensei turned, eyes hard, and focused on Tazuna-san. "Tazuna. We need to talk."

* * *

The fucker had known. He had _known_ he'd be targeted by ninja. His excuse was bullshit, too. I'm sure Hokage-sama would've made an exception in Nami's case, if he had just told the damn truth! …Still, It wouldn't sit right with me to leave Nami up a creek. I wanted to continue the mission, not for that drunk fuck's sake, but for the people of Nami that we'd be helping so much by completing the mission. And the boys agreed with me, although not necessarily for the same reasons. Regardless of that fact, though, that was enough to convince Kakashi-sensei to continue the mission.

* * *

While we rode on the boat that would take us to Nami no Kuni proper, I looked at that Magic Blast skill that I had gotten.

**Magic Blast (Active) LV1 EXP: 11.43%  
The user charges up a mass of energy in their hands, and releases it in a massively strong close-ranged burst of power.  
Damage increases with INT.**

So it was specifically close range, but I assumed that was the trade-off. It was much more powerful than just a Magic Bullet, so I think that was fair. I dismissed the window, and returned to looking at the sea and landscapes we passed by. The scent of sea salt filled my nostrils, and I inhaled it, smiling and resting on the side of the boat, momentarily relaxed.

* * *

We were back to walking, but at least now it wasn't a dirt path with nothing but trees on either side. No, now it was a dirt path with trees on one side and the sea on the other. Not much different, but any change was appreciated. Naruto-chan started at something, suddenly throwing a kunai into the bushes. A white rabbit ran out of the bushes, and I chuckled. "Getting jumpy, Naruto-chan?"

"Hey, I-"

"Get down!" Kakashi-sensei yelled. I immediately reacted, pulling Tazuna down with me as I basically slammed myself down into the dirt. A huge – and I mean huge – sword whistled through the air over our heads, and slammed into a tree behind us. We got up and turned, looking at the sword, as a man appeared, standing on it. I looked at him, seeing what we were up against.

**?**   
**LV ?**   
**Momochi Zabuza**

Oh. Oh, shit.


	8. Fear

**A Life of its Own, Prologue**

**This Game of Life, Chapter 7**

**Fear**

Okay, Sakura. It's okay. You can't see Kakashi-sensei's level either, he could be just as strong as this guy. Stay calm. Don't let the boys panic. I looked at them, and they seemed fine. No recollection of this… Zabuza. Alright, then. I refocused on the enemy in front of us, ready to fight, while Kakashi-sensei and he seemed to finish with their pre-battle banter. He leapt off his sword, pulling it onto his back, as he flew through handseals. "Hiding in the Mist Jutsu!" He cried, as fog rolled in, obscuring everything around us. Kakashi-sensei lifted up his forehead protector to his actual forehead for once, as an oppressive aura rolled over all of us.

**A skill has been created through a special action! Through continuous exposure to danger, the skill 'Sense Danger' has been created!**

**A skill has been created through a special action! Through continuous exposure to killing intent, the skill 'Sense KI' has been created!**

**Sense Danger has increased in level by one! Sense Danger has increased in level by one! Sense Danger has increased in level by one! Sense Danger has increased in level by one! Sense Danger has increased in level by one!**

**Sense Ki has increased in level by one! Sense Ki has increased in level by one! Sense Ki has increased in level by one! Sense Ki has increased in level by one! Sense Ki has increased in level by one! Sense Ki has increased in level by one! Sense Ki has increased in level by one!**

_Damn_. That aura… I shivered. If it weren't for Gamer's Mind, keeping me calm… In the corner of my eye, I- I swatted that kunai right out of Sasuke-kun's hands. "What are you doing, you idiot!?" He looked at me, surprise clear on his face, while Zabuza's voice seemed to emanate from every direction as he chuckled and spoke.

"You've got a fiery one there, Kakashi. Relatively unaffected by my intent, too… It's too bad you met me. Your life probably would've been legendary otherwise. Oh well. Now then… Which of the eight points of death shall I hit?"

In a whirl of motion, Zabuza cut Kakashi-sensei in half with that super-impractical weapon of his. Really, it was ridiculous, and everyone knows that speed is favoured in the kinetic energy equation more than mass. If he had something with half the weight, every swing would be even faster, and have four times the same amount of energy if he used the same amount of force… Ugh, whatever! The Kakashi-sensei he cut turned into water, and another Kakashi-sensei held a kunai to his neck, just for _Zabuza_ to turn into water.

…Man, I need to get an actual clone technique at some point. Those things were damned useful.

* * *

It went on and on like that for a while, neither of them gaining the upper hand, while the boys and I tightened our formation around Tazuna, ready for when – because at this rate, it probably would happen – Zabuza happened to switch targets. The battle between the two elite ninja moved to the water, and while the boys focused on each move of the fight, I focused more on how they were freaking _standing on water_. They weren't moving, so it wasn't because of their speed or anything… It must be some form of chakra control, or a supplementary jutsu, or something. Did it require a water affinity or something? Zabuza was a Mist nin, so it wouldn't be too farfetched… although that meant we had a pretty rare teacher, what with him having a water affinity in the Land of Fire. Maybe it didn't require the affinity. I've gotta ask Kakashi-sensei after. …Well, if we survive this. That would probably not be a cakewalk. The boys gasped, and I looked up, and my eyes widened.

Kakashi-sensei was held in some kind of water bubble, that Zabuza held a hand into. It was obviously some form of jutsu, and I don't think Kakashi-sensei could move. "Run!" Sensei shouted, as Zabuza made another one of those clones made of water.

"Too late for that." The impractical swordsman grinned, as his clone started to approach us.

I swivelled around. "Sasuke-kun!" I barked, and he stared at me, an incredulous look on his face. "Don't give me dumb looks like that! You know fire jutsu, right? Use them! We have to get Kakashi-sensei free! Now!" His face morphed into his usual calm, collected, and cute, and he nodded, already going through handseals. "Naruto-chan! Make loads of clones and have them throw all the kunai and shuriken you have!"

"Got it, Sakura-chan!"

I turned back towards Zabuza, his clone dangerously close. I held out my hand, preparing a Bullet. "No, this isn't strong enough…" I said, gritting my teeth. I poured more power into it, pushing it almost to the point of instability, forcing myself to solely focus on making sure it didn't prematurely explode. I barely registered the hail of weapons that flew at Zabuza, or the searing fireball that vaporised his clone. After about five seconds, it was done. The Bullet, which had once been about the size of my fist, was now the size of Choji-san's torso. And in case you didn't know, Akimichi Choji's _fucking fat._

I fired the huge Bullet, unprepared for the massive recoil that knocked me off my feet, ruining my aim, but it didn't matter. Sasuke-kun and Naruto-chan's contributions were already enough to force Zabuza to move, and my huge Bullet just made him retreat farther.

**A skill has been created through a special action! Through manipulation of a huge amount of mana, the skill 'Magic Cannon' has been created!**

I waved away the window, now wasn't the time. I took note of the name, though. Magic Cannon definitely fit.

Kakashi-sensei was freed from that prison Zabuza was caught in, and wasted no time in re-engaging. But, having reminded them that they could actually help without being hindrances, Naruto-chan and Sasuke-kun assisted where possible with kunai and fire techniques. I was exhausted from the cannon, so I simply remained by Tazuna, panting and trying to catch my breath. The Cannon shot had taken a lot out of me. I was still no chakra monster, and something like that was incredibly taxing for me. Although, I was sure actually getting a hit with it on someone of my level? That would be my win, instantly. In that sense, I suppose, it was an all-or-nothing trump card. Which I could live with.

* * *

Kakashi-sensei easily had the upper hand, especially with Naruto-chan and Sasuke-kun's help. He had Zabuza pinned, when suddenly, two needles appeared in his neck, and the man with the slab of sharpened metal that's supposedly a sword – have you realised how _stupid_ that weapon is, yet? – dropped like a sack of potatoes. Another ninja, this one masked, dropped to Zabuza's side, checking for a pulse and finding none. "Thank you," the… male, I suppose, spoke out in a melodious voice. "I have been tracking him for a while. Your battle gave me the opening I needed to take him out." I looked closer at the guy.

**The Demon's Tool  
LV 22  
Haku Yuki**

That's… weirdly weak, for someone supposedly tracking Zabuza. That's weird. Kakashi-sensei spoke then. "Oh, well thank you for your help, Hunter-san. I don't suppose you would need any help disposing of the body?"

"Oh, no." The hunter-nin soothed, picking up Zabuza's body. "I can do that when I have returned-"

In a flash, the ninja was in the position Zabuza had been not moments ago. "Wrong answer. You should know that hunter-nin dispose of the body where the target was killed, to avoid anyone picking up a trail, or gaining secrets of your village. But of course, you're no hunter-nin, are you?" The masked ninja struggled against Kakashi-sensei's hold, not answering. Kakashi-sensei's eyes flicked to Sasuke-kun. "Sasuke. Stab Zabuza in the heart."

Sasuke-kun slowly nodded, pulling out a kunai from his pouch. His hand hovered over the body, before in a single smooth motion, his hand plunged into Zabuza's heart, and blood spurted from it, staining his face and clothes, to which he grimaced.

"Nooooo!" screamed Haku, escaping Sensei's hold, and heading straight for Sasuke-kun. I Lunged at them, just as Naruto-chan began to move, and the both of us managed to tackle them onto the ground. Kakashi-sensei pulled them up, holding them by the front of their kimono, their mask having fallen off in the commotion. Kakashi-sensei pulled down his forehead protector again, pulling out a kunai.

"Any last words?"

At Haku's silence, Kakashi-sensei shrugged, and finished the job.

* * *

After the fight, we made good time to Tazuna's house. Kakashi-sensei was tired, stumbling a few times. The fight must've taken a lot out of him. As soon as he found somewhere to rest, he was out like a light, dropping Zabuza's fucking metal sheet on the ground next to him, and the boys and I looked at each other.

"So… what do we do?"

"We could make a perimeter around the house, I guess. Your clones would be good for that, Naruto-chan."

"We shouldn't." I looked at Sasuke-kun questioningly. "This Gato probably hired Zabuza thinking he could handle anyone that Tazuna brought with him. Making a perimeter will just alert him that Zabuza failed, and when he doesn't come back, he'll realise he's dead, and will just hire someone else, maybe someone stronger. If we don't make the perimeter, it'll take him longer to realise he's dealing with someone that isn't easy to take down. And he's a civilian, even if a corrupt one. He might underestimate us anyway."

I nodded. "That's pretty smart, Sasuke-kun. Okay, so no perimeter, and we ask Kakashi-sensei about stuff when he wakes up. Okay?"

"I have a lot to ask him regardless… about that Sharingan of his, for one."

"That was a Sharingan? It looked pretty cool!"

I chuckled, moving over to the corner of the room.

* * *

**Magic Cannon (Active) LV1 EXP: 21.67%  
A skill requiring the user to manipulate a huge amount of energy and control into a cannonball-like sphere of power.  
Requires 5 seconds of charge time.  
500% damage increase.**

Yep, Magic Cannon was as devastating as I had thought it would be. And Sense Danger was level 6, and Sense Killing Intent level 8, just from that one burst from Zabuza… wow.

Yeah, I still have a ways to go, huh?


	9. Preparation

**A Life of its Own**

**This Game of Life, Chapter 8**

**Preparation**

My fist collided with Naruto-chan's, both of us fighting for dominance in our struggle. He won out, being the physically strongest of the three of us. I went for a roundhouse kick, but he managed to dodge, and with a wild swing of his fist, he got me good in the face, and I went down. I swept my leg at his, tripping him up, and punched him in the face as he fell. He fought through the pain, though, and grabbed my arm before I could retract from the punch, and he lifted me up, and slammed me back down on my back on his other side.

"I give." I exhaled from the ground, the pain from the slam having already faded due to my ability. "Although I hope you know the only reason you won is because you're a lot stronger than I am. Your taijutsu is really sloppy for someone who uses so much of it."

"Huh? But I fight exactly how Mizuki taught me-"

"Well, Mizuki's a shit teacher then. Your taijutsu is pretty damn awful."

I had asked Naruto-chan for a taijutsu-only spar, because I knew that'd be one of the best ways to start levelling up Suzaku's style. But that meant no skills for me, not even buffs, or Power Strike. I considered using Vermillion Bird's Beak, since it was a part of the style, but that would be the only active skill I'd allow myself to use.

It showed me how much I relied on my skills, already, even my buffs. I was faster than Naruto, but he was stronger, and a hell of a lot more durable than I was. And even with the frankly minimal number of jutsu and skills I had, I used them heavily to disorient and confuse opponents so I could chip away at them, one bit at a time. When that was removed, then it showed how much I was lacking. With my buffs, it would've been a fairer contest, but… I sighed.

"So much for being the top kunoichi. Beaten by the so-called dead last."

"No, Sakura-chan! You're great! You know all those cool jutsu, and those illusion things! When you use those, you're a lot better than me!"

"Points for trying to cheer me up, but that's not the point. I'm incredibly lacking physically, even still. I need to fix that."

I sat up from where I was laying on the ground. "I'm gonna go check on sensei. If he's not awake, I'll go guard Tazuna when he goes to work later." I said, seeing the red ball of fire that granted our world light start to peak over the horizon.

"Whoa, it's sunrise."

"Well, yeah. We should get up before first light. We need to constantly ensure the safety of our client, don't we? We have to be there ate every waking moment."

"I was wondering why you made us go to sleep as soon as they did. And why you wanted to spar in the middle of the night."

"Nothing like a fight to get the blood pumping." Or a unique ability that didn't require you to sleep in the first place.

* * *

Sensei was still out like a light, but from using Diagnosis on him, he was only suffering from minor chakra exhaustion. He should be awake later today, and back at one hundred percent in two to three days. Good. If Gato does end up hiring someone else, we'll be fully ready before they can even get here.

* * *

I greeted Sasuke-kun in Tazuna's living room, where he had been since I woke him and Naruto up. He had been watching Tsunami-san quietly and subtly when she had woken up, he told me. However, there wasn't really much to guard them from inside the house, which I agreed with. "You could come with me to guard Tazuna on the bridge, if you'd like."

"I'd prefer to train."

"That's fine too. Swap with Naruto-chan out back then."

"...Hn."

"What?"

"I would have thought you'd insist on me coming. Or join me in whatever I decided to do."

I chuckled. "I grew up a bit, Sasuke-kun. I'm not gonna blindly follow you on everything anymore. I'm no child."

He paused. "On second thought, one person can't guard every avenue of attack. I suppose it would make sense for me to come with you."

* * *

Sasuke-kun stayed with Tazuna, while I moved onto the bridge proper, watching the workers. The client was Tazuna, but the bridge wouldn't be able to be built without workers. While I watched, I played with my chakra. Nothing external, it was purely internal movement. Essentially, I was using Chakra Enhancement, and isolating it to singular parts of my body, to see if it could be used in different ways. I was wary of moving it to my eyes, ears, and nose, though. Seeing like a Hyuuga, hearing like a Namiki, smelling like an Inuzuka, it seemed really cool.

Except I knew with the limited medical knowledge I had that they were some of the most delicate parts of the body, the eyes and ears especially. It was the same reason no one tried to localise chakra flow to their brain to increase processing speed, or something like that. If they messed up, it wouldn't be good, and in the case of the brain, they wouldn't even be able to pass on what they did wrong and right, since they'd be, y'know. Dead. Or a vegetable. Maybe a paraplegic if they were lucky.

In the end, I localised it to my head in general. It did help my senses, but not nearly to the extent that those clan's senses had been honed to. But it was enough for me to pick up on the chatter of the builders, who thought I couldn't hear them.

"That's one of those magicians? She's just a girl. What was Tazuna thinking?"

"She's so scrawny… what is she, twelve? Thirteen?"

"Hey… I heard that all of those ninja types have some wicked magic and stuff. She might be, like, a demon in disguise or something."

"Really? Scary…"

"You two are cowards. She's a little girl, younger than your own kids. Tazuna must've made a mistake."

"I can hear you, you know." The three builders froze. It'd been simple to weave two skills together, leaving a Clone in my place, and using False Surroundings to cloak myself as I leisurely approached them. I played with the illusion some more, making it seem like I rose up from their shadows before breaking it, and dispelling my Clone. "You should be more discrete when dealing with a kunoichi."

The two that had been wary both backed away, and the one who had seemed so brave before stood as still as a statue, fear clear on his face. I scoffed.

"I knew it be a waste of my time to bother trying to educate hicks like you." I spat on the ground, looking at the three that still hadn't returned to their work. Shrugging, I grabbed the loads they had been carrying, activating Chakra Enhancement to make sure I could handle it, and started transporting in their stead. In the corner of my eye, I saw them all fall on their asses, all of them scared.

I smiled. I should do that more often. It was… kinda fun.

**A skill has been created through a special action! Through fearmongering, the skill 'Evoke Fear' has been created!**

I brought my scarf up over my mouth as I started to giggle. This power had skills for everything, didn't it?

* * *

I helped with the building of the bridge after that. Unfortunately, I wasn't that much of a help. I was only one girl, and an untrained one for this sort of thing at that. I could only move material, and even then, they had machines that could move even more than I could, albeit more slowly. But it felt like I was helping, so I continued. But it was… really, _really_ boring work. I don't understand how they could live with doing this every day of their lives, it was… mind-numbing! I hated it, and didn't intend on helping again.

* * *

After the day's work, Sasuke-kun and I walked Tazuna back to his home. Tsunami-san was already finishing cooking dinner. She knew we'd be back around now. Naruto-chan, Kakashi-sensei, and Inari-chan, Tazuna's grandson, were already sat at the table. Naruto-chan seemed angry about something, but I didn't intend to pry. I just smiled at him instead, sitting next to him, which seemed to cheer him up. Sasuke-kun sat next to me, while Tazuna went to go and say hello to his daughter.

"Good initiative, you three. I'm glad you knew to protect Tazuna without me having to tell you, and you left someone here to protect Tsunami-san and Inari-kun. Sakura, I'm also impressed with your decision not to have a perimeter-"

"Actually, sensei, that was Sasuke-kun's idea."

"I'd guessed. But you made the final decision, no?"

"Oh, uh… yeah. I guess so."

"And that's why I'm impressed. Not necessarily for what you decided, but because you took charge, not bothering to bicker between yourselves, just doing what had to be done. That's very different to what you would have done months ago, when you were teamed up. I'm proud. You've come far."

I smiled, while Sasuke-kun grunted. Naruto-chan shouted, "Well, yeah! We're Team 7, the best genin team in Konoha!"

"You aren't good enough."

Naruto-chan and I looked at Inari-chan. "What do you mean?" I asked.

"Gato's too strong. He's just gonna kill you all. Don't you see that?"

"Gato's a corrupt pig. He's just a civilian. We have nothing to worry about from him."

"Yes you do!" He shouted, standing up. "There's no such thing as heroes! You can't save us! Gato'll just kill you all, and make things worse for us! So just go back home!"

I snorted. "Hey, kid. Lemme tell you something." I stated, fire in my tone. "Gato's a scumbag. I have no doubt he would try and kill us, if he could. But he can't. The ninja he hired, the ones he thought could take on anyone? We beat them already, on the way here. No one he hires can stand up to us, you hear me?"

"He'll just hire someone else!"

"And we'll just beat them too!" Naruto-chan yelled, slamming his fist on the table.

"You don't understand. No one does!" The annoyance cried, running upstairs to his room.

"Little shit," I mumbled under my breath. I sighed. "So! What's for dinner?"


	10. Technique

**A Life of its Own, Prologue  
**

**This Game of Life, Chapter 9**

**Technique**

"Climbing trees?" Naruto-chan asked, utterly confused. To be fair, I was too, and I bet Sasuke-kun was as well. But… he was our sensei for a reason. Shrugging, I channelled chakra into my legs, Lunging at the lowest branch, quickly turning and Lunging to the next, and continued until I reached the top, which took me about three seconds. Had we been back home, then things would've been different. A place called the Village Hidden in the Leaves had some massive trees, of course.

I peered down at my teammates. Even if it was less than half the size of an average Leaf oak, to say nothing of the ancient, incredible trees that had been in the village since its founding, it was still quite a height. "How'd I do?"

"That was impressively quick, Sakura, and you acted on what I said almost immediately, which is also good. However, that's not what I meant for you to do. Had you waited, I would've clarified." Sensei chastised me, although he didn't seem mad, more pleased than anything. He walked up to the tree, and waited a moment, before placing a foot on it, and then slowly walking up the tree.

"Whoa." I stated. Oh, yeah! I jumped down from the tree, as Kakashi-sensei walked back down from the trunk. "Hey, sensei, that reminds me. What was the technique that you and Zabuza used to walk on water? Does it require a water affinity, or something like that?"

"No, it's an advanced form of the technique I just used to walk up the tree. Anyone with good enough chakra control should be able to do it. Though, now that I think about it… I suppose those with a water affinity may very well find it easier to use than others. Regardless, though," He said, moving back over to the tree. "To walk up the tree, you need to channel chakra to your feet. If you channel too little, nothing will change. Too much, and your chakra becomes concentrated, and therefore volatile, forcing you off the tree. And with just the right amount, your chakra takes on adhesive properties, allowing you to walk up the tree. Hop to." And with that, he vanished, leaving the clearing.

"Heh, this'll be easy!" Naruto-chan shouted, running at the tree and taking a step on it… and immediately falling off. To my right, Sasuke-kun managed to make it a few steps up the tree, before being blown off.

I cracked my knuckles. "Alright, let's go." I rushed at the tree, channelling chakra to my feet. I ran up the tree with ease, retaking my spot at the top. "That… was easier than expected."

I looked for the expected notification, but there was nothing. "Does that not qualify as a skill, then? Weird. Totally would've expected it to be." I slid down the tree trunk, flipping off it and making a stylish landing. Naruto-chan clapped.

"Well, I'll leave you guys to it. I'm gonna go find sensei, see if he has anything else for me. In a bit, boys," I waved, as I left to go back to the house, both of them attempting to climb the tree again.

* * *

Sensei didn't have much for me. He started me on water walking, but I was a natural at that too. He sighed, telling me to wait while he went to get something. I opened up my status, looking at my stats.

 **Name: Haruno Sakura** **  
****Class: The Gamer** **  
****Level: LV 7** **  
****HP: 180/180** **  
****MP: 70/70** **  
****STR: 12** **  
****VIT: 9** **  
****DEX: 11** **  
****INT: 26** **  
****WIS: 20** **  
****LUK: 10** **  
****Points: 20**

"Now's as good a time as any, I suppose." I said, looking at my points. Deciding to keep upping my chakra related stats, since my physical ones got buffed the most, anyway, I dumped 7 into INT and 13 into WIS, equalising them at 33. I felt a slight pain in my head as I did, and a more significant one at my core. However, they faded quickly, and I dismissed the window. I stretched a bit, and formed a small Magic Bullet in my palm, playing around with it, messing with its shape. I quite like the look of it as a cube. Looks cleaner, in my opinion. I let the cube of force dissipate, as I heard Kakashi-sensei begin to make his way back downstairs. He had a piece of paper in his hand.

"Channel chakra into this." He stated, handing me the paper. I complied, and watched in fascination as the paper burst into flame, but instead of leaving ash behind, it was instead dirt and dust. "Fire with a secondary of earth… Not surprising, considering where we live, but I was expecting you to be earth and water. It doesn't matter, though."

"Was that to test my chakra affinity?"

"It was. You have a fire affinity with earth as a secondary. A strong offence, and a strong defence."

"Oh, okay. Are you going to teach me techniques, then?"

"Not yet. You need to train your affinity first. Which one would you like to train first?"

"Fire."

"Oh? And why?"

"I'd like to train my offence first. My dad is already teaching me medical jutsu and other support skills later, I'm sure, so I'd like to spend my time with you strengthening my offence and my body physically."

Sensei looked at me approvingly. "That's fine, then. Make sure you tell me what you learn on your own time as soon as you learn it, though. I would like to know how strong you are."

"Oh, well… I also kinda started learning a taijutsu style too. The Vermillion Bird of the South."

"Oh? I've not heard of that style. I'll look it up when we're back in the village, and I'll see if I can help you."

"Thanks, sensei. So, what's the affinity training?"

* * *

I sat, staring at the leaf in my hands, Kakashi-sensei looking on lazily. I took in a deep breath, accessing my chakra, moulding it, trying to make it hotter, or something. Wilder, trying to make it rise. I breathed out, and let the chakra out, thrusting it into the leaf, and I watched as it burst into flames in my hands. The small flame floated slightly over my hands, and as I kept feeding the small flame chakra, I just heard Kakashi-sensei sigh.

"I don't know how anyone didn't realise this. They said your chakra control was excellent, but this is at a prodigious level."

I barely heard him.

**A skill has been created through a special action! Through the manipulation of flame, the skill 'Fire Affinity' has been created!**

**Fire Affinity (Passive) LV1 EXP: 1.54%  
The ability to manipulate fire and flame-based techniques. To some, this comes as natural as breathing, while for others, it takes years of training to accomplish this feat.  
Reduces MP cost of all fire-based skills by 5%.  
Increases damage dealt by fire-based skills by 5%.  
Allows fire-based skills to be created.**

* * *

Unfortunately, Kakashi-sensei didn't have any scrolls of fire techniques on him. However, that wasn't so much of a problem. I created a Magic Bullet, remembering how I had played with it earlier. The Bullet came out as a cube, as I had made it earlier, and then I remembered how my chakra had felt when I gained the Fire Affinity skill. The Bullet erupted into flame, as I thought it would.

**A skill has been created through a special action! Through manipulation of flame-based mana, the skill 'Fireball' has been created!**

That confirmed my suspicions. I dismissed the Fireball, not bothering to unlock the Magic Blast and Magic Cannon fire variants. They'd come when I needed them.

* * *

Things continued like this for a while. The boys would train their tree climbing, while I made and maintained small fires to train my Fire Affinity, with all my buffs active, of course. Then, after dinner, I'd spar with one or both of them to up my physicals and to train Suzaku's skills.

 **Name: Haruno Sakura** **  
****Class: The Gamer** **  
****Level: LV 7** **  
****HP: 180/180** **  
****MP: 96/96** **  
****STR: 13** **  
****VIT: 11** **  
****DEX: 14** **  
****INT: 33** **  
****WIS: 33** **  
****LUK: 10** **  
****Points: 0**

Every other day, I'd go and protect Tazuna while he worked. I just maintained a flame in my hands, while I walked around, surveying the area. I levelled up my Evoke Fear skill a few times doing that. These guys must really be freaked out by shinobi. Freaking hicks. Although, of course, Gato would definitely know we were here now. Not like he wouldn't have known beforehand, though, we stuck out like sore thumbs, and with Zabuza never turning up, he must've assumed. Kakashi-sensei said we should watch out for any ninja that Gato may hire as a result of us taking out Zabuza and his goons.

But I wasn't worried. Zabuza wasn't that much trouble to deal with, even if Kakashi-sensei did almost everything, and we were stronger now than we were before. We could deal with whatever came our way.

* * *

The bridge would be finished in a few days, so Kakashi-sensei started bringing all of us out to protect Tazuna. He had Naruto leave a few clones at the house to protect Tsunami-san and her little shit of a son, and we watched as Tazuna started ordering his workers around. I went and sat next to the bridge, cupping my hands and watching the flame spring up. My Fire Affinity had gone up seven levels, but the rate of improvement was slowing fast.

' **Evoke Fear' has increased in level by one!**

I sighed. Every time it levelled, I got better at evoking fear, which just made it level faster… it was an endless cycle.

"Hey, kid." A shadow lumbered over me. I looked up to see the idiot brave enough to bother me today. Oh, it was a girl this time.

**Rising Star of the Earth  
LV 27  
Kamizuru Kurotsuchi**

"Fuck!" I growled, leaping off the bench I had been sat on, regrouping with my team. "Sensei! There's an enemy ninja!"

He nodded. "I'm aware. You can come out now."

Before my eyes, two men rose out of the ground, and the girl that had approached me, Kurotsuchi, joined them.

**The Third's Shield  
LV 29  
Kamizuru Akatsuchi**

**Prideful Son, Calm Father  
LV 51  
Kamizuru Kitsuchi**

"It seems your skills haven't dulled, Hatake."

"Oh no, of course not. You haven't gotten any better though, Kamizuru."

The oldest – Kitsuchi – bristled at that comment. However, he seemed to rein himself in. "Hand over the bridge builder, or we'll kill you all, and then take him."

"Good luck with that." Kakashi-sensei said, pulling out his porn and beginning to read.

Kitsuchi bristled again. "Kurotsuchi, Akatsuchi, kill the kids. Hatake's mine." He barked.

"Those kids aren't strong enough to warrant both of us fighting them! Let me help you, Akatsuchi can take care of the little tree-huggers."

"That's an order, Kurotsuchi!" He snapped, staring at Kakashi-sensei. "Now, come on, Hatake Kakashi! Let's see that Sharingan you're so famed for!"

"Oh? Well, I would reveal it, but I don't see anyone around strong enough for me to have to use it to win. Did you bring a fourth member?"

Kitsuchi had had enough, it seemed. He charged sensei, who seemed to focus as soon as the man moved, though he still didn't reveal his Sharingan. "Hold them off until I'm done, then I'll come and assist you!" He said, jumping back to dodge the Rock-nin's attack.

"Tch," I turned, looking at Kurotsuchi. "This'll be a waste of time."

"They are Hatake Kakashi's genin, Kurotsuchi-san. They may be more than they seem."

"They're like, twelve! I won't give up a chance to kill some tree-huggers, but man! This is pathetic." She sighed. "Alright, brats. Time for you to die."

"We'll see about that," said Sasuke-kun, Naruto-chan nodding as he made some clones. Akatsuchi made what seemed like… a rock puppet? Or something similar, while Kurotsuchi simply crossed her arms.

But I knew this wouldn't be easy. Their levels completely outclassed ours. Had it been one, we might've been able to win, but with two… We had to survive, and wait till Kakashi-sensei came through for us. I still couldn't see his level, and I could see Kitsuchi's, meaning he was probably the weaker of the two. So…

"Alright, boys. We've got one goal here. Survive." They both nodded.

"Got it, Sakura-chan!"

"Hn."

"Okay. Let's go!"

* * *


	11. Difference

**A Life of its Own, Prologue  
**

**This Game of Life, Chapter 10**

**Difference**

We moved all at once, the three of us using speed that I'm sure none of us even realised we had. I could see something forming from some rocks over where the larger, higher-levelled one was. Was it a clone of some sort? Whatever it was, it was probably pretty dangerous. He was definitely the one we wanted taken down if we got the chance.

But it had been a second since we moved. Our feet had barely left the ground. So when the girl appeared in front of me, planted a fist into my gut, and then sent me flying into a tree with a roundhouse kick straight into a tree, I was left stunned. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. She was higher level than Dad, so probably a chunin. It's not that much of a stretch for her to be faster than him. I expected for it to be hard to breathe from being hit that hard, and it was, but only for a second. The pain faded almost instantly, and when it did, I stood, shook off the cobwebs, and went rushing back into the fight, Naruto-chan flying past me as I did.

I tried to grab him, but he flew by much too fast for me to. At least he didn't hit the tree, he flew right past it. Gritting my teeth, I Lunged to where we had been before, and frantically rolled out of the way of a jet of water spewing from the girl's mouth. I got on my feet as quick as I could, only to find an earthen fist flying towards me from some sort of giant, hulking rock construct. It must've been what the fat one was doing earlier. I dived out of the way, the fist barely missing. I held out my hand, a cubic Magic Bullet springing to life in it, which I fired at the construct's head area. It barely phased it, though it seemed to stop momentarily. I used that hesitation to scramble away from it, to a clearer area with more space to manoeuvre. There, I saw Sasuke-kun engaging with Kurotsuchi. He was doing well, but… He's only level 15, and he doesn't have the Sharingan, so…

I came in to help him, and as he saw me, he leapt away, to prepare a jutsu or something. I engaged Kurotsuchi physically. I could only keep up with her for a few seconds, judging by how she had decimated me when the fight began, but that would hopefully be enough.

"Heh, fucking tree-hugger kids. You don't know what you're getting into, brat!"

"You're only like, three years older than me! You can't call me a brat, dirt eater!"

"Dirt eater? Seriously? That's the best you could-" I heard the distinctive sound of one of Sasuke-kun's fire jutsu behind me, and I leapt away, calling up two Fireballs, one in each hand. I threw them at Kurotsuchi, and they just got lost in the many fireballs that Sasuke-kun's jutsu had made. But then, the fucking fatass clapped his hands and placed them on the ground, and a wall of stone popped out, blocking the fire.

"You should be more careful, Kurotsuchi. Tsuchikage-sama and your father wouldn't be happy if they found out you were injured by some genin, especially Konoha ones at that."

"Bah, shut it, Akatsuchi. I know, I know. Knowing that old fart, he'd probably demote me if that ever happened. He'd be so pissed off about it. Anyway." She said, turning her attention back to us. "Fire jutsu of that calibre, at your age? You must be an Uchiha, broody. A pretty shit one, too, 'cause you don't have any sharingan that I can see. Did your teacher steal his off you?"

I could see Sasuke-kun literally shaking with rage, and I knew he was about to do something fucking idiotic. "Sasuke, don't! She's trying-"

"Shut the fuck up, Sakura!" He snapped back, launching himself at Kurotsuchi in a fit of rage, only to stop for a moment when that rock thing strolled in the way. He growled at it, attacking it with a flurry of taijutsu strikes and braces of kunai and shuriken. The thing grabbed him as he was about to kick its head, and slammed him into the ground, hard.

They'd hurt both my teammates, my friends. Now it was my turn to start to see red. In a flash, I had flown past the construct, my hands pressed together and held out in front of my head. My hands glowed faintly with a red aura, and I looked back at where I had unleashed the Beak of the Vermillion Bird. I had severed the construct's arm, and quietly, I was glad I had decided against using the technique on Naruto-chan. It probably wouldn't have been pretty. The arm crumbled to pieces, and I landed on the ground, past Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi. If I could get another Beak off, I could destroy the construct, or maybe even kill one of them.

She didn't give me the chance. Another fist to my gut bent me over, and then a hammerblow to the back of my head sent my face slamming into the concrete. I felt at least one tooth chip from that, although like before, the pain faded almost instantly. Kurotsuchi grabbed me by my hair, pulling me up to her height.

"Your hair's way too fucking long. And that scarf you're wearing looks stupid too. I'd cut it off for you, but it's not like you're gonna live through this anyway, so…" Her fist planted itself into my gut once again, and I crumpled. She dropped me to the ground roughly, kicking me as I landed, sending me tumbling away. She slowly walked towards me as I started struggling to get up.

"Take this!" A voice shouted. Naruto-chan had made his way back, it seemed, leaping at Kurotsuchi, aiming a heavy punch at her head from her blindspot. It didn't work, not even close. Naruto-chan stupidly announcing his presence didn't help, but I'm sure she would've noticed anyway. Her head easily moved out of the way, and she grabbed Naruto-chan's wrist, pulling him forward over her shoulder, and driving a knee into his chin.

Naruto-chan seemed momentarily hurt, before bursting into smoke. Kurotsuchi looked at it in shock. "What!?" Six of him suddenly burst from the foliage, all of them cocking fists back to attack her. She dodged all of them, starting to disperse a few, but more and more started to charge from the foliage. Individually, they were all much weaker than her, but maybe he could overwhelm her with sheer numbers. It seemed to be working, at least to some extent. The clones were actually landing a few hits on her, which was more than me or Sasuke-kun had managed to accomplish.

Speaking of, he came crashing down near me. He had been knocked away by either the construct or the one who had made it, I'm not sure which one exactly did it. Either way, the hit had hurt him badly. He was coughing up blood. "Naruto!" I screamed, not knowing where the original was. I pointed at the ninja and his construct. And, happily enough, clones started appearing to distract those two. Man, I needed to get that jutsu off him.

Smiling, my hand lit up with green medical chakra, as I activated the Mystical Palm Technique, laying it on Sasuke's body. I used Diagnosis, which told me there was damage to his ribs, and localised internal damage in that area as well, so I held my hands there, knitting his ribs back together and healing whatever internal damage had been caused by the massive ninja.

"I… didn't know you knew… healing techniques." Sasuke said, still finding it a bit of a struggle to talk through the pain. I smiled at him.

"How else would I have known that sensei had chakra exhaustion from the fight with Zabuza? Besides, every team needs a medic, and there's no way I could trust one of you boys to be that."

"I suppose." He chuckled, opening his eyes. I gasped.

"Sasuke, your sharingan!" And his level, too! He's suddenly level 18? How does that work? Do other people's levels not work the same as mine do?

"What?" He turned, seeing a puddle from Kurotsuchi's water jutsu from earlier. He looked into it from where I was healing him, seeing his red eyes with tomoe spinning around in them, and grinned. "Yes… Now I can win."

"No, you can't. They're still way stronger than we are."

"You just don't understand the power of the sharingan. With this-"

"The sharingan is a dojutsu that has three levels, shown by the amount of tomoe present in the sharingan eyes. The sharingan is able to increase the user's visual acuity and processing speed to the point of being able to predict the opponent's moves by seeing minor muscular twitches in their body which telegraph how their body is going to move. As the number of tomoe increase, this visual acuity and processing speed increases to the point where the possessor's reactions to the opponent's actions can be borderline precognitive. The sharingan is also able to follow the molding and shaping of chakra for jutsu, allowing skilled users to copy jutsu used by opponents, although it cannot see the intricate details of the chakra system itself. Finally, the sharingan is also capable of casting minor genjutsu. The main flaw of the sharingan is that it increases processing speed too much, too quickly. It results in the user processing things at a faster rate than they can move every time they increase their sharingan's level. This leads to the possessor being able to see what's coming, but not being able to do anything about it. Sasuke, you're currently in that group. You can see what's coming, but it doesn't mean _shit._ They're way too strong compared to us. Even with the sharingan, we wouldn't be able to keep up. We need to work as a team to win this, alright?"

He just blinked at me. I guess he didn't expect me to know so much about the sharingan. "I wasn't the academic lead in the academy for nothing, y'know. You're healed. Come on, we've gotta go find the original Naruto." He slowly nodded, and we both faded into the foliage to go find him.

* * *

"Naruto!" I shouted as we ran in the woods, looking. I knew we wouldn't have much time. The clones were working, at least for now, but I knew that wouldn't last. We needed a plan, and fast.

"Hey, Sakura-chan! Didja see my clones? Pretty awesome, right!?" He said, as he jumped down from a tree.

"This isn't the time, Naruto. We have to take this seriously. We can't beat them working individually." Sasuke said, surprisingly. I suppose he calmed down from earlier.

"He's right. We need a plan if we're gonna win." If we even can, with the kind of level advantage they have on us… "Okay, I have an idea. I have a technique that might be able to take one of them down if I get a direct hit, that ninjutsu I used when we were saving Kakashi-sensei from Zabuza. There's another one that might do the trick, too, but I don't want to take chances. The only problem with it is that it requires me to charge it up. But if you distract the two of them long enough for me to get a shot off… we might have a chance of actually winning this fight."

"How are we meant to do that?"

"I don't know. You're gonna have to figure that out, Sasuke. Even just engaging in taijutsu for a few seconds would be-"

"Guys, _move_!" I leapt from where I had been standing at Naruto's shout, Sasuke doing the same. And not a second too soon, as another jet of water flew past us. It would've been a direct hit had we not moved.

"How'd she get rid of all the clones so quickly!?"

"I dunno! She breathed out some grey gooey stuff that was really hot, and it took out loads of clones!"

I looked to Naruto. How had he known..? Whatever, it was a question for later. We moved again, bursting back to where the fight had been taking place before. There, I could see a big portion of the clearing was covered by some grey cement-looking material, and almost all of the clones were gone. However, I didn't dwell on it too much. Naruto spawned more clones, all of them going to focus on the fat guy exclusively, and Sasuke went to fight Kurotsuchi. After a moment's hesitation, I decided to start charging up a Magic Cannon, focused on Akatsuchi. He was higher level, and I didn't want to risk hitting Sasuke.

I landed on the ground, right hand cupped where chakra was coalescing into a cube.

Four seconds.

The one armed construct attacked me, and I leapt over its fist, landing on the thing's arm. I ran on it, kicking off of its head.

Three seconds.

The thing grabbed at me, but a Magic Bullet formed in my left hand, and I fired at its hand, blasting two of its fingers off.

Two seconds.

I landed in the crowd of Naruto clones, and two of them grabbed my arms.

One second.

They threw me straight at Akatsuchi, and I cocked my right hand back.

I fired the Magic Cannon at point-blank range, the explosion sending me flying back. I felt my hand explode and rip apart at the intense force as it collided with the man's gut and detonated. Over the sound of the explosion, I heard a faint shout of Aka-something, plus something that sounded like my own name. It looks like my eardrums got ruptured.

The pain was intense, but again, it only lasted for a second. I looked down at my hand to see the state it was in after that, and… it was… completely fine? "What?" And I just heard myself speak? What the fuck!? Quickly, I checked my status. My HP was way down, further down than it had been before, but… this didn't make any sense. Like, at all.

**Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one!**

Seeing those, I quickly looked at Akatsuchi. He wasn't dead. But he was certainly out for the count, unless Kurotsuchi was also a medic. And speaking of which, she was staring at me, with more anger in her eyes than I had ever seen in my life.

**Sense KI has increased in level by one! Sense KI has increased in level by one! Sense KI has increased in level by one! Sense KI has increased in level by one! Sense KI has increased in level by one!**

"I'm going to fucking murder you."


	12. Crushed

**A Life of its Own, Prologue  
**

**This Game of Life, Chapter 11**

**Crushed**

I felt it before I saw it.

She planted her fist in my stomach with incredible speed and force. It sent me flying, blood coming up unbidden from my stomach out of my mouth. She was on me before I even hit the ground, before the pain had even begun to fade. She slammed me again in the stomach with a snap kick, just sending me flying even faster. I slammed into a tree, feeling some of the bark on it crack on impact. I slid down the tree, the pain fading already, but I was struggling to keep my eyes open. Checking my status, my HP was low. Really low, at critical levels.

"I hope this works…" I said, grunting. Unfortunately, levelling up didn't seem to restore my HP and MP, but… Hopefully I'd have enough as is. My hand glowed green with medical chakra again, and I placed it on my stomach. Instantly, my HP began to refill, and my MP drained, though at a much slower rate. I sighed, closing my eyes and waiting till I was fully healed.

* * *

I opened my eyes, sensing something coming. Dodging out of the way of a jet of water, I cursed as I cancelled the Mystical Palm Technique. Not only was I not fully healed, I hadn't allocated the points I had gotten from Akatsuchi's defeat yet! Ugh. First order of business would be to do that, as soon as I got a chance.

"You're still standing?" She said, suddenly in front of me, her voice completely devoid of emotion. I looked up at her, and her eyes… they were somehow both completely cold and unfeeling, and filled with rage, hate. I could see how badly she wanted to kill me, and what was worse, I could see how she was managing to restrain herself, so she could have fun taking me apart. It was…

"But you're terrified. Good."

In an instant, I was sent flying once again.

* * *

Things repeated like that again and again, but this time she wasn't giving me any breaks. She must've... _taken care_ of Sasuke and Naruto. Please, please, don't have killed them-

I coughed out blood again, as my body collided with the hard ground. The she-devil kicked me in the side, sending me flying into a tree. My vision wavered, threatening to darken, but I managed to keep myself awake. Distantly, I heard an explosion. Sasuke or Kakashi must be coming to save me… My hand fluttered over to my abdomen, lighting up with healing chakra. The demon in woman's clothing had left, probably to go and deal with whatever caused that explosion. The pain was fading already. I could see my bruises disappearing.

**Mystical Palm Technique has increased in level by one!**

I opened my status, and dumped all my points into my INT. I needed both to regain my chakra, and to lose less of it. It probably wouldn't help that much, but…

**By raising INT above 50, you have gained the passive skill 'Malleability.'**

**Malleability (Passive) LVMAX  
The user's control over their internal energies has improved to the level where one could call those energies completely malleable. They are able to shape and change the properties of their power in ways that have been unseen in years, and this changing and shaping comes as easy to them as breathing.  
Reduces MP cost of all skills by 20%.  
Reduces cost of elemental techniques by a further 10%.  
Reduces cost of shaping techniques by a further 10%.  
Allows certain shape manipulation techniques to be created without teaching.**

What? I got a skill for- I grabbed my head, suddenly wracked with a headache, and a bad one at that. I felt my chakra itself shift, and then the pain faded, as quick it came.

…Anyway, I got a skill for raising my stats? That's… Heh. With that, and with my increased INT, maybe now we can actually win. I stood, and headed in the direction of that explosion.

* * *

I stopped in a tree. I could see her. She was slowly walking towards something… Naruto! He was beaten. He looked unconscious. She was going to… A Magic Bullet sprang to life, as I leapt at her exposed back. I'd reach her before she could react! I heard someone screaming. They should really quieten down, we're in the middle of a fight here. I thoughtlessly converted the Bullet into a Blast, as I cocked my hand back, and slammed it into her. I felt her body pulp under the force of the attack, and I smiled, as she popped into smoke, being replaced by a log, and smashed me in the chin with an uppercut, sending me flying again.

"You're quite fun to use as a punching bag, y'know?" She quipped, hitting me with a roundhouse kick, sending me skipping against the ground, where I could feel my skin tearing from the multiple impacts. My flight was final stopped when I collided with a bush, the thorns in it digging into my skin.

She was already there. She picked me up. "You're going to pay for what you did to Akatsuchi. I won't kill you. No, I'll just make you my little… pet. Hope you like torture."

"Go to hell."

"Awww, you've got a mouth on you, too!" She cried, before her face darkened. "I'll have to fix that." She sent me on another flight, this time hitting both my torso and my arm. I felt my ulna shatter at the impact, and this time, I screamed.

* * *

I tried to sit up, nursing my now broken right arm. I don't know if I'll be able to- What!? Before my eyes, I could see the arm knitting itself together, even though I hadn't even prepared a healing technique. Was someone healing me? I checked my status, but even as I could see my arm being repaired, my HP remained constant. So it must've been something else. The Gamer's Body…? But why would it… Oh. In games, even when they've taken damage, game characters usually never get disadvantaged by it. Ignoring status effects, there are usually two states – alive, or dead. I didn't realise Gamer's Body would go so far… Shit, I'm gonna have to be careful I don't magically start healing wounds in front of people. Too many questions. Thanks for giving me a healing jutsu, Dad. At least I can explain it away with that if it happens while I'm alone, or if I'm quick enough.

Speaking of, I used the Mystical Palm. Although my body was outwardly healed, my HP was low. I guess the only point of healing myself is to keep that up, but since I'd probably die if it reached zero… yeah. It's worth the chakra loss.

* * *

Whack. "How…"

Thwack. "Are all of you…"

Boom. "Standing!?"

"I dunno." Sasuke quipped, spitting out some blood, and getting punched for it. There's gonna be another bruise joining that black eye. If I had any chakra left, I'd fix him up.

"And why the hell are you two still uninjured? If you knew healing techniques and had the chakra left to heal, you would have healed him by now."

"Maybe we just have an awesome plan-" Bang, Naruto's gone. And by the by, we have no plan. Kakashi's taking his sweet time. We really are in danger here, especially because if she goes to town on me, she might see the Gamer healing, or even kill me. She can't see my HP, after all.

"You can't beat us."

"Tell that to the past fifteen minutes." I coughed, doubling over on her fist. I looked up at her, her eyes blazing, and simply smiled.

"Your friend's going to die if you don't get him some help."

She faltered. For half a second. Not nearly enough for me to do anything, not like it would have mattered anyways. All I did was make her angrier. "And whose fault is that? Huh!?" She screamed at me, backhanding me. For once, her hit didn't send me flying, but her kick to my stomach sure did. I vomited a little as I landed. I saw her coming, and as my body fixed itself, I made a show of struggling to move, biting my lip to bring down a stream of blood from the corner of my mouth.

"When Kakashi comes, he'll slaughter you, y'know. When he sees us. He's gonna-" I wheezed, her fist hitting me in the gut again. Some blood sloshed into my mouth, and as she looked at me, with tears in her eyes and anger marring her features, I simply gave her a bloody smirk.

Her face darkened again. She was at her angriest now. "I hate you shitty treehuggers so fucking much!" She screamed, her fist going straight for my face. But it stopped, inches from hitting.

"She was right. I'm furious." Kakashi said, pulling her back from me, staring at her with hard eyes, Sharingan uncovered. "Kitsuchi is dead. And your friend will be too, if you don't leave _right now_ and save his life. It's your choice whether you want to save both your lives, or end them."

Even still, the only person Kurotsuchi had eyes for was me. "I won't forget this. I will pay you back for what you did." She said, and then left.

I sighed.

"I'm sorry. I knew you weren't ready to face them, but I thought…"

Kakashi's voice drifted off, as my eyes slid shut.

* * *

We got out of that pretty lightly, all things considered. The only persisting injury after I regained my chakra was Sasuke-kun having a broken arm, and even then, that was mostly healed, I just didn't trust myself to fix it perfectly, so I only healed it up to a certain point.

But… the physical side isn't everything.

"We got…" Naruto-chan started, trailing off.

"Crushed. Completely and utterly crushed. By one girl." Sasuke-kun said, fists clenching.

I looked at the floor for a moment, before looking him in the eye. "It had to happen at some point. We're fresh, rookie genin. We're nowhere even close to unbeatable. I mean, sure, I thought we were better than that, but… This is a good thing. We still have a lot left to catch up on."

"Sakura's right, you know."

**Legacy of White, Yellow and Red** **  
** **LV 59** **  
** **Hatake Kakashi**

We all turned, to look at Sensei, who looked at each of us in turn. He sighed a little, before continuing. "I knew you weren't ready to fight them from the get go. But defeating Kitsuchi while using as little chakra as possible so I could come back you up required all my focus, so I had to split it up how I did. And… In the back of my mind, I thought that somehow, someway, you would find a way to win. And you took one of them out. Nice job, by the way. But I see that I was wrong and that's okay. This is reality. They were simply more experienced from the get go. The only reason you managed to take one of them out is because they underestimated you severely. And you know better than I just how much of a gap there was in your ability when they decided it was time to stop messing around." At that, we all looked at the floor. He paused for a moment, letting us contemplate, before continuing.

"But it's an experience you needed, lest it happened when there wouldn't be anyone to bail you out. You aren't invincible, you aren't all mighty. No one is, and I doubt anyone ever will be. You needed to learn that. And realise something else, too. The gap between your and their power? That's about half the gap, maybe even less, between theirs and mine. You weren't fighting jonin. Those two were on the high end of chunin. There's a long road ahead of you if you want to become the best."

"That being said…" He squatted down, putting his arms around the three of us. "That being said, you performed excellently, considering the circumstances. Well done."

"I'm proud of you."

* * *


	13. Homeward Bound

**A Life of its Own, Prologue  
**

**This Game of Life, Chapter 12**

**Homeward Bound**

From what we heard from Kakashi-sensei, Gato had been planning on taking us out no matter who won the fight. He had apparently got all his thugs together into a huge army, and was planning on taking us on after the fight was over. I can only imagine that he would've done it if the Rock nin won too. Or maybe he was just trying to be sure we were dealt with. I dunno. Kakashi-sensei was still in decent shape after his fight, so he managed to take out their entire army and capture Gato. ANBU are already on their way to pick him up, apparently.

So, we've got nothing else to do here but wait until the bridge is finished, and to make sure no remnants of Gato's forces try anything stupid. We'll likely be here another few days.

* * *

I stood with the rest of the team, at the bridge's opening ceremony, not using my time spent idle on more grinding on my fire manipulation for once. To be honest, I've actually got that pretty high considering how long ago I discovered my nature. I should probably move on to do some earth training at this point. Though part of me feels like it's not all that worth it.

"So, what else could I name it-"

Oh, shit, stuff's happening.

"-but the Great Leaf Bridge?"

The name was met with applause and cheering, which quickly moved from just being a celebration in general to a celebration directed at us. And it made me realise something. We had overlooked it in moping about our loss to Kurotsuchi, but the fact is, we saved these people. Even if we weren't the ones who beat them, we at least held them off for Kakashi-sensei. The fact made me smile, a little, and I saw the same on Sasuke-kun's face, though he tried to hide it. Naruto-chan, though… he looked frightened, at first. But then, he gave the brightest grin I've ever seen on him, and he laughed.

**He Who Fights For Those He Loves  
LV 11  
Uzumaki Naruto**

* * *

The trip back home was much faster than the trip to Wave. The only part that slowed us down was the boat trip back to the mainland, and I tried to use it as an excuse for Kakashi-sensei to teach the boys water walking, but he refused. He said it wasn't worth it to do it in the sea, and he'd teach them properly at home. Seeing he wouldn't budge, I relented. We'd still get back by tomorrow by the latest.

* * *

Walking up to the gates, I sighed in relief. It'd be great to finally sleep in my… oh, wait, I shouldn't be sleeping in the first place. Fuck, I still have to remember that. Suddenly, I heard a loud cry of "Sasuke-kun!" from ahead of us, and saw a yellow blur moving towards him at high speed. I didn't even think about it. I Substituted with Sasuke-kun, and the blur collided with me instead. Why don't I use Substitution more often, now that I think about it?

"Eh!? How the heck did you get in the way, Forehead?"

**Mrs. Beauty  
LV 7  
Yamanaka Ino**

She's lower level than I would have expected. "Maybe your eyesight's going? Needing glasses probably won't mix well with using the Sharingan."

"Ha. Funny." She said, letting go of me. "Anyway, you've wasted enough of my time. Sasuke-"

"Hey, Ino."

"What?"

"Why are we doing this? We can still be friends even if we both like Sasuke-kun."

"Really? I don't-"

"I'm friends with Ami. If I managed that, then any excuse you have for us being friends is just that. An excuse."

She didn't have a response to that. I placed a hand on her shoulder as I walked past. "Think about that."

I looked towards the rest of Team 10.

**Lethargic Genius  
LV 8  
Nara Shikamaru**

**Big Boned Protector  
LV 10  
Akimichi Choji**

Disappointing was the first word that came to mind, to be honest. I mean, alright, Choji was only a level off of Naruto-chan, but… Naruto-chan was the dead last in the academy. They should still be stronger than he is, when you factor in that and their clan advantage. Had they not been training at all with their sensei? I bet Ami could take Ino or Shikamaru, and if that's true, then they have a hell of a lot of work ahead, considering that almost everything she's learnt after the academy's been self-taught.

* * *

Our teams separated quickly, as they were heading out as we were going in, and as they left, I said "Kakashi-sensei, why were they so much weaker than us?"

"You could tell? Hmm. Well, they're not that much weaker than you. You're all stronger than them, true, but there's not much of a gap between you. However, the gap between you guys and them is only going to get larger and larger if nothing's done, and the reason for that is the same reason they're already weaker. It's motivation. Team 10, as they are, are unusually unmotivated, what with their composition, and with Asuma as their sensei, they don't have anyone really pushing them to change that. You guys are the opposite. You guys are always ready for a challenge, always up for training. That quality is really what sets you apart."

"Hmm. Okay."

* * *

"We're going to do something different today." It'd been about a week and a half since we had gotten back to the village from Wave. I looked up at Sensei from where I had been stretching questioningly. "Come with me, you three. We're having a joint exercise."

"With who?" Naruto-chan asked.

"Your fellow rookies, of course. Remember our little talk about motivation? I thought this would be a nice way of motivating Team 10. And it would be rude to leave out Team 8 from the festivities."

"Kakashi-sensei, by the way, by our fellow rookies, do you mean everyone who's in the system in our age group?"

"Well, no. I mean you, Team 8, and Team 10. Why?"

"Well, at least two of our year's graduates are in the reserves, and I thought it might be a good idea to include them too."

"Hmm. Well, why not?"

* * *

We all met in a training field, however we took some time after what the scheduled start time was to get Ami and Aya-san here. I took that time to survey Team 8.

**Pale Wallflower  
LV 9  
Hyuga Hinata**

**The Dog Who Cried Wolf  
LV 9  
Inuzuka Kiba**

**Rational Insectophile  
LV 10  
Aburame Shino**

Better than Team 10, but still worse than us. Disappointing still, but to a lesser extent. But now Ami and Aya-san are here, and we can finally begin.

**No One's Little Baby Bear  
LV 8  
Kokuma Ami**

**Lone Wolf  
LV 14  
Namiki Aya**

* * *

So the first thing on the agenda is a tournament. I guess the idea is for us to sweep and show everyone else they're behind? I dunno, won't spend time thinking about it. First up is me and Kiba. Sorry, doggy.

"Hah! Easy first fight! Come on Akamaru, we're gonna win this!"

I ignored him, forming a Magic Bullet. I heard some murmuring behind me, but I don't know who it was. I played with the shape of the thing. From my testing in Wave and after we got back, it seemed Malleability gave me the ability to change my bullets into shapes that weren't regular polygons, and also just helped me split them up more evenly, stuff like that. It'd given me an idea.

As the fight began, I moved out of the way of Kiba's predictable forward charge, into the underbrush formed by False Surroundings. I hit him with Hell Viewing before he even turned, and before he broke it, formed a bunch of Clones – still have to get an actual clone technique – to confuse him, running in and out of the visible area.

While the idiot mutt went and dealt with that the only way he knew how, with brute force, I continued my idea, forming my Bullet into a katana, putting in chakra as needed when I couldn't elongate it any more.

 **A skill has been created through a special action! Through manipulation of mana, the skill 'Variable Blade' has been created**!

Sweet.

**Variable Blade (Active) LV1 EXP: 0.00%  
A weapon created from the manipulation and condensation of energy into such a state where it has a physical presence and effect upon the world around it. Can be easily morphed into a different form to fit the situation.  
Damage increases with INT and WIS.**

So essentially, instead of having skills for all the variations of weapons that could be created, they all just fit neatly under one. Nice. Less clutter.

**A skill has been created through a special action! Through the use of weaponry, the skill 'Kenjutsu Mastery' has been created!**

Oh, that reminds me, I haven't found anyone to help me with kenjutsu. At least now I don't need a weapon. I probably should still get one, though. At the very least, it means I use less chakra.

Refocusing on the fight – if you could call it that, he still hasn't realised I'm still hiding – I waited for my chance. When he went for a full force punch on a Clone, dispelling it and unbalancing himself from the lack of resistance, I struck. I Lunged, and swung in one smooth motion, making sure not to enhance it with a Power Strike or anything. I didn't want to really injure him, and the cut was a light one, anyway.

**A skill has been created through a special action! Through the use of swift strokes, the skill 'Iaido Mastery' has been created!**

**A skill has been created through a special action! Through the use of a high-speed slash, the skill 'Step Sword' has been created!**

Today is a profitable day.

Kiba staggered back from the unexpected attack, and I went on the offensive, letting my sword dissolve from my hand, and coming in with a punch. This one I did enhance, and hit him in the face as hard as I could. And just like that, I dissolved away into the underbrush again, waiting for my chance to attack again. Why the idiot doesn't use his fucking nose, I don't know, but I won't complain.

* * *

One thing I discovered I could also do thanks to Malleability was delaying my Bullets. I could place them down, and then keep them there. I couldn't move them again once they were down, though, and they still only flew in straight lines. But it was fun to overcharge bullets so they shone brightly, set them down, and wait for him to come charging in so they'd fire right into his face. By the end of the fight, he refused to move from the part of the field that wasn't obscured, simply waiting for me. I responded by simply delaying Bullets all around him from the foliage, and setting them off towards him from every direction. He managed to substitute, though. Boring.

"Kiba." I said, walking from the underbrush. "You should probably give up. You still haven't hit me yet, and you're starting to lose a lot of blood from the cut I gave you. I can patch you-" I dodged his haymaker, driving a Bullet into his stomach, kicking out his feet from under him, and sitting his back as he fell to the ground. "-up, if you just surrender. I do have other fights, and I don't want to waste all of my chakra."

I heard something, muffled from the ground. Jumping off him, he repeated what he had said, flipping over so he looked up at me. "Bite me."

Sighing, I looked down at him, disappointed. He'd left me with no choice. "I give up. It's not worth it convincing someone as stubborn as you that you can't win, and I'm not willing to fully incapacitate you for that outcome, too." With that, I sat, dispelling what remained of my genjutsu, and going straight into healing Kiba's wounds. "Why do we have so many stubborn idiots in our year?" I grumbled.


	14. Xenologue 1

**A Life of its Own, Prologue  
**

**This Game of Life, Xenologue 1**

"So, how have you found training your team, Kakashi?"

"Mmm? Easy enough, I suppose. To be honest, it's been more like me watching over them training themselves. I suppose that's the benefit of a team like mine."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Kakashi paused from where he was in his novel to look over at Kurenai. "Oh, didn't you know?"

"Hokage-sama's given me three prodigies."

* * *

"Kiba's an idiot. Sakura-chan's gonna beat the crap out of him now." Naruto worriedly said.

"Really? Because from the look on your face, I'd imagine Forehead's gonna be the one who loses." Ino scoffed. "I mean, she has smarts, but she was never even close to being the best practically. Kiba'll run all over her."

"Haruno-san will win." Aya quietly stated, not adding anything else to the conversation.

"I concur." Shino simply stated, while Shikamaru gave a grunt of agreement from where he was lying on the ground.

"Yeah, she's definitely going to win," Ami stated, which Sasuke nodded to, along with Hinata.

"She's gotten a lot stronger," Choji stated simply.

Ino looked around, looking for some support, but it seemed none of the other rookies agreed with her.

"Yeah, well, I was just saying from past experience-"

"A word of advice," Ami interrupted. "When dealing with ninja, never use past experiences to prove that something in the future is certain. You'll just get embarrassed."

* * *

"What do you mean, three prodigies?" Asuma asked, curious now.

Kakashi sighed – _Dammit, I was getting to the good bit –_ , closing his book. "Well, we all know Sasuke is a prodigy. And Naruto is, for reasons we all know about, and others, too. He's a kinesthetic learner, and he's actually very talented. The academy simply wasn't the right environment for him to learn effectively. He's quickly catching up to Sasuke. And Sakura… well. Would it be fair to say that Hinata has prodigious chakra control?"

"Well, of course. She's a Hyuga, after all." Kurenai said, stating the obvious.

"Well, then Sakura's a prodigy as well. Because I believe her control is even better than Hinata's. And not just slightly better, or moderately better. To be perfectly honest, I can slightly understand why it wasn't caught by the academy. For the most part, until recently, it was all internal. But now… Well, I'm sure she'll show us. Just watch." Kakashi explained, silently watching Sakura. After a moment, Asuma and Kurenai began watching her too, and all three jonin clearly saw the cube of blue chakra spring up from her hand.

* * *

"What jutsu is that?" Choji asked, curiously.

"I've never seen any jutsu like that before. Intriguing." Shino stated.

"I'm almost certain she made it herself," Sasuke stated. "That's how she said she came across it, and from all the variations of it she's made, I'm willing to believe her."

"Does it not require handseals?"

"I've never seen her use them for it. In fact, I haven't seen her use handseals at all for a while now."

"Intriguing."

"Oh, there it is. She's started her usual strategy." Ami said, some of the rookies looking at her quizzically. "She sets up an area of effect genjutsu to create some cover. She does it over an area so it can't be dispelled, as it's not directly influencing our chakra systems. Then she makes some clones and makes them run around, and then she starts hit-and-run tactics."

Aya simply watched intently.

* * *

"You saw that, right?"

"Yep. What was that?" Asuma asked.

"It was… a feat of pure chakra control. Bringing out a small amount of chakra externally, quickly forming a shell over it so it doesn't dissipate, and even making it float, and shaping it too… Not even I could do that in an instant. Is this what you meant, Kakashi?"

"Yeah, this is what I meant. Agree with me now, Kurenai?"

"Well, I have to… even if it is… insane. How did Iruka not pick up on this?"

"Like I said, I have a feeling it was all internal before. I'm not sure what caused it, but she suddenly realised that external chakra control was possible, and she's actually made it into a feasible offensive jutsu. And not only that, but it's one only she can use, unless you're Tsunade. Another thing I've noticed is that lately, when she does use a jutsu other than that, which she's named Magic Bullet, by the way, she doesn't use seals."

"Her control can't possibly be that good."

"Not only did she manage to apparently learn the Mystical Palm in a day, I have seen her use it without handseals."

"Have you told Hokage-sama about this?"

"Of course I have. He's unsure of how to proceed. I don't think anything like this has ever happened before. It'd be an amazing boon to pull her straight into the Medical Corps, but then we miss out on anything else she might create, and besides, she's infatuated with Sasuke, and Naruto with her. I don't want to pull their team apart."

* * *

"She's taking her time. When I spar with her, she's usually attacked by now." Ami stated.

"Knowing her? She's probably invented something and is gonna use Kiba as a test dummy." Sasuke sighed.

When Sakura appeared from the underbrush, pink hair flowing behind her, and with a blue sword in hand, slashing Kiba, Ami chuckled, while Sasuke simply facepalmed, sighing.

Ino watched, slightly – _Slightly, I said_ – awed with Sakura.

* * *

"She…"

"It has a physical presence, too."

"…Please, let me mentor her in genjutsu."

"That's her decision to make, Kurenai."

* * *

"She's toying with him."

"Sakura-san is clearly the better fighter. But-"

"Inuzuka-san is much too stubborn to surrender, right, Aburame-san?"

"Yes, Namiki-san. Exactly."

With a sigh, Aya spoke. "I change my p-prediction. Haruno-san'll lose on a technicality."

Ami sighed. "You're probably right."

Naruto looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Just watch, Naruto. You'll understand what they mean." Sasuke added, exasperatedly.

* * *

"See?"

"You were right. Mystical Palm without handseals… This is ridiculous. I'd kill to have that kind of control in ten years."

"We all knew this batch were special."

"Special doesn't even come close to cutting it."


	15. Tourney

**A Life of its Own, Prologue**

**This Game of Life,** **Chapter 13**

**Tourney**

"The winner is Kiba."

"Wait, what?" He asked confusedly. I shook my head, just continuing to heal his wound. He really had lost a lot of blood. I doubt the idiot even noticed.

"Don't question it, Kiba. Just accept it."

He looked at me, still confused, before shrugging and turning to Akamaru. "Yahoo! We did it, Akamaru! Told you it'd be an easy win!" To his credit, Akamaru just looked at him before padding away to where everyone else was. Smart dog. Shame he got paired with Kiba.

"You're all healed. Come on, get your ass up so they can start the next match." I said, cutting off Mystical Palm and walking over to the group, hands in pockets. I noticed certain eyes on me. Shikamaru's. Aya-san's. Ami's, Shino's. And the sensei's, too. I shrugged, taking it in stride. The next fight was Ami and Ino.

**No One's Little Baby Bear  
LV 8  
Kokuma Ami**

**Mrs. Beauty  
LV 7  
Yamanaka Ino**

And it looked like Ami was gonna win that fight.

* * *

I sat down, legs crossed, as Ami and Ino stood where Kiba and I had stood a few minutes earlier. As the fight began, Ino smirked. She hadn't said anything, but she thought that this would be an easy win. We all knew it. To be fair to her, unlike with Kiba, she was perfectly justified in thinking that. She'd graduated higher in the rankings than Ami, she was from a noble clan, she had a jonin sensei while Ami had a chunin at most. But I'd literally just proved that nothing was certain with a fight with ninja, not even when we're genin.

Ami stood loosely in a new stance. It seemed to favour attacking with closed fists, mainly using the legs for bracing herself, but they could still be used for attack. It seemed very similar to that old style I had seen when I found Suzaku's style. What had it been called? Boxing, or something like that.

Ino's hands flew up into what must be a very familiar configuration for her. "Mind Transf-"

Her jutsu call was interrupted, as Ami sped up to her, and let fly with a brutal right hook that almost knocked Ino off her feet. She went straight into a left jab, then quickly stepping to the right, punching her in the side with her right, then slamming her with an uppercut, finishing with a right jab. She stepped back, giving Ino a moment to regain her balance. But before she could even think of what to do, Ami let rip once again, starting with a roundhouse kick to the head, before stepping back in for another flurry of punches. She'd gotten a lot faster since I've seen her, and she's trained a lot with this style. Her movements with it were incredibly fluid, and she never let Ino have a break if she could avoid it. She finally stopped when Ino stopped even trying to react, the girl only swaying on her feet. Ami stepped back from her quickly, before moving out of her stance and just looking at her.

"You gonna wake up, and give me any challenge at all? Or are ya just gonna sit there and take it, princess?" Ami's words seemed to wake her up a little, and Ino grit her teeth. Slipping into the academy style, she rushed at her opponent, flinging a wild haymaker at Ami. Ami just sighed as she approached, easily dodging, and bringing her fists up for a final combo that ended with an uppercut that finally knocked Ino down, and she didn't get up. The whole match had barely taken two minutes.

"Don't challenge Ami to a taijutsu-only spar, got it." Someone quietly remarked, and the rest of us could only agree.

"Ami, could you bring Ino over here so I can heal her? You hit her in the head so much I'm worried she might've gotten a concussion."

"Sure." Ami picked up the unconscious Ino, bringing her over to me. After using Diagnosis, I could see that I was right about the concussion. I sighed, healing her, as Sasuke-kun and Shikamaru got ready for their fight.

**Lethargic Genius  
LV 8  
Nara Shikamaru**

**The Last Uchiha** **  
** **LV 15** **  
** **Uchiha Sasuke**

Kakashi-sensei came over, putting a hand on Sasuke-kun's shoulder as he bent down and whispered something in his ear. Sasuke-kun nodded, and Kakashi-sensei hesitated for a moment before he continued. "Got it," Sasuke-kun grunted out, most of his focus on the fight that was about to take place. His eyes were already darting around, looking for cover and escape routes, stuff like that. I noticed that they were black, too. Did he not consider Shikamaru strong enough to bother using the Sharingan? I mean, he was right, and it'd conserve chakra… But he shouldn't underestimate people like that.

* * *

I looked down for a second, right as the fight began, but my head sprang up at the near instant cry of "Grand Fireball Jutsu!" Shikamaru just barely dodged the huge fireball, jumping to the side, Sasuke-kun instantly on him, pulling out a kunai with his right hand. He swiped it at Shikamaru, sweeping it upwards towards the left, and letting go at the end of its arc. Shikamaru backed away, his back hitting a tree, as Sasuke-kun grabbed the kunai with his left, bringing it forward in a thrust that buried it next to Shikamaru's head, hilt-deep into the tree.

"I think that's my win," Sasuke-kun said simply, pulling out the kunai and walking away, stowing it as he did so. Shikamaru didn't seem too bothered by his loss, although he looked like he was thinking about something. That fight had lasted about five seconds.

No one spoke up about what had just happened. I think we were all still digesting just how quickly it had taken place. After a moment, Aya-san and Choji started, realising it was their turn to fight. The two of them approached their starting positions, a blush on Aya-san's face.

**Lone Wolf  
LV 14  
Namiki Aya**

**Big Boned Protector  
LV 10  
Akimichi Choji**

* * *

"D-Don't think that I'm g-going to hold back, just because it's you, Choji-san!"

"Why would I think that?" Choji asked, confused as to why she would even say that.

"She's crushing on him so hard." I sighed. "Does he even know?"

"Nope," Shikamaru said, collapsing to the ground near me. "He's almost as bad as Naruto."

"Huh?" Naruto-chan said, looking at us. "What do you mean?"

I chuckled. "Don't worry about it. Why don't you go ask Hinata for some tips on how to fight Shino?"

"That's a great idea, Sakura-chan! Thanks!" He said, immediately going off to talk to her. I didn't even have to look to know that she fainted when I heard him panicking in the background. I noticed Shikamaru's eyes on me again.

"Something you wanna ask, Shikamaru?"

"…No. It's too troublesome to bother. I'm taking a nap." He said, closing his eyes and laying his head on the ground. I looked at him for a moment more, before turning back to Aya-san and Choji. Even though the fight had technically started, neither had made a move yet. Aya-san seemed at war with herself, while Choji just looked confused. After an agonisingly long moment, Aya-san hesitantly approached, and Choji switched on. Aya-san threw some shuriken at the Akimichi heir, and he batted them away with an enlarged fist. Aya-san used that to close in physically, attacking with a jumping knee strike. Do we just have a knack for finding weird, old taijutsu styles or something? I've never seen a style that uses the knees like that.

He blocked it pretty easily, though the blow rattled him a bit. Aya-san was the shortest out of all of us, even shorter than Naruto-chan, so I'm pretty sure he wasn't expecting her to be that strong and didn't brace up properly. Aya-san kicked off the arm he had used to block, pulling out… a flute? She started playing, and instantly, I felt a genjutsu start taking over, as the notes came to my ears. I then felt it instantly break, due to Gamer's Mind's mental protection, but it started reforming instantly, my powers constantly breaking it. I looked up from where I was still healing Ino, around at everyone. It looked that all the rookies couldn't keep up and had succumbed, and even the senseis were having trouble dispelling it. It wasn't that the genjutsu was hard to dispel, it was that each note was infused by it, so the difficulty was dispelling not the one jutsu, but all of them continuously. I looked up at her, a look of intense concentration on her face. This must've been incredibly hard for her to learn.

After a few seconds, she stopped playing and retrieved a kunai. With shaky hands, she started to put the kunai to Choji's neck, but… she couldn't. She faltered, dropping her hands. She looked like she was about to cry. "I forfeit." She quietly stated, dispelling the genjutsu on Choji and walking back to the group, completely silent. I think that I was the only one other than the senseis to see that. Either she had some serious qualms about killing, or even threatening to kill, or she had some really strong feelings for Choji. Considering she was a clan heir, though?

I guess Choji's just a lucky guy.

* * *

After everyone was woken up and told about the results of the match, which was met with pretty much mass confusion, Shino and Naruto-chan took their positions for their match. Hinata luckily, or unluckily, considering who she's most likely gonna fight, got a by to the next round.

**Rational Insectophile  
LV 10  
Aburame Shino**

**He Who Fights For Those He Loves**  
**LV 11**  
**Uzumaki Naruto**

Although, to be fair, this could be really close. Naruto-chan should win, considering he was higher level, but it'd probably be a hard fight for him.

* * *

As the match began, Naruto-chan predictably started off with five clones. But the other rookies don't know he can use shadow clones… I suppose Shino's in for a surprise. All the Naruto-chans threw a brace of shuriken at Shino, who stepped back, dodging all of them. He was being cautious, it'd be easy to lose track of the 'real' shuriken in a hail of that many. And considering they were all real to begin with…

Two Naruto-chans rushed in to attack physically. I could Shino stop and consider the fact that at least one of them was a clone, and how he should approach fending them off. I saw him glance down at one's feet, and as he saw a shadow, I think he assumed that that was the real one. "He's made a mistake. It could be fatal if Naruto capitalizes on it correctly." Sasuke-kun mused, while everyone else seemed confused, apart from Shikamaru – of course he caught it – and… Hinata? Wouldn't have expected her to have noticed before Aya-san- oh, yeah. Byakugan, that explains it. Though I haven't seen her use it yet today.

Shino focused on the one had been looking at, and with a swift punch, he hit him on the cheek and sent out his bugs to start draining chakra… when the clone dispelled. Shino instantly began to turn, but it was too late. The other clone hit him, and the rest of the Naruto-chans rushed in, the original making more clones.

"I forfeit. Naruto-san has me at a disadvantage. I have nothing that can easily take down his physical clones, and it would take much too long for my kikaichu to drain him regularly." Shino said, pushing up his sunglasses on his face. Naruto froze, before letting out an explosive sigh.

"Aw, what? Everyone else got to have really cool fights! Why do I get the short stick, huh? Why?"


	16. Tourney 2

**A Life of its Own, Prologue  
**

**This Game of Life,** **Chapter 14**

**Tourney 2  
**

There's a break before we move on to the second round of the tournament. It gave me enough time to heal Ino and wake her up, so she didn't miss too much. She wasn't the happiest, though, and I can't really blame her.

In some respects, her fight with Ami was even more embarrassing than mine. Ami didn't have a sensei anywhere near Asuma-sensei's calibre, and she'd always been worse than Ino in the academy, so for her to be beaten by Ami so easily…

She got up abruptly, and walked off. I watched her go, not saying anything. She needed the time to herself.

Besides, it'd be much better for her to realise that she needed to train harder in her own. She might actually keep at it that way.

I walked over to Naruto-chan and Sasuke-kun, both of whom were chatting about their matches. "Well done," I said, smiling. "And good luck to the both of you." Both of them nodded, Naruto-chan giving me that grin of his.

"Sakura!" I heard Ami call, and I turned around to see her approaching us.

"Yo. What's up?" I asked, curious.

"Any advice with KIba?" She simply stated.

"You and him are pretty similar. Straightforward taijutsu for the both of you. Your taijutsu is more refined than his, I think. But he has the physical edge. And that matters quite a lot at our age, so… I think he'll win."

"Oh… Right. Guess I got lucky with fighting Ino first, huh?"

"Yeah. But the gap between you and Kiba isn't that big, and you're smarter than him. You might be able to outsmart him."

"I don't have anything that could lure him like that, though. Apart from clones."

"Try using them with the Transformation to confuse him. And throw in a lot of Substitution, too."

"So, your style?"

"Pretty much. He doesn't stop and think long enough to realise he could figure you out if he used his nose. Use that to your advantage."

"Right. Thanks, Sakura."

"No problem."

She jogged off. Probably to see if she could get some info out of Hinata or maybe even the mutt himself. She's the only one even bothering to gather information.

* * *

The break ended pretty quickly, and we were back to the matches. First up was Ami and Kiba.

As soon as the fight began, Ami created some clones, but instead of melting away and going to hide like I would, she went for a straight charge, her clones flanking her.

As she rushed at Kiba, I saw her slowly go through some handseals. She brought up a leg to kick Kiba, who brought up his arms to block. In a puff of smoke, a log crashed into the boy, Ami having substituted out.

I noticed Shikamaru actually begin to focus on the fight when he saw that. There was barely any outward sign of it, though.

"Arrrgh! I won't let you do this again! Come on, Akamaru!" Kiba growled, throwing a pill to his puppy, whose fur turned red upon eating it. My eyes widened. He hadn't used this in our fight.

"Four Legged Technique! Man-Beast Clone!" Akamaru was obscured by smoke, and once it cleared, he was replaced by a feral looking Kiba. The original Kiba's nails and teeth elongated, making him look identical to that clone. I bit my lip.

"Why didn't he use that when he fought me? He might've been able to give me some trouble if he had."

"Kiba-san most likely severely underestimated you. He thought that once he found you, he would easily overpower you in a straightforward fight, and so he did not think about using it." Shino stated. I crossed my arms, pouting.

"That idiot."

* * *

Ami was having trouble. Although it didn't seem Kiba and Akamaru could use those spinning techniques the Inuzuka have, at least not yet, they were clearly much stronger, and faster too, though to a much lesser extent.

It didn't take a genius to tell that Ami was on her last legs from the multitude of minor wounds she'd taken and the chakra usage from substitutions.

To make matters worse, Kiba actually was using his nose this time. Every time Ami tried to confuse him with Transformation or with clones, he was always able to pick her out. Eventually she stopped bothering.

She was on the defensive. But from what I saw with her fight with Ino, if she got one opening, she could capitalize on that and turn things around.

Had there only been one Kiba, that probably would've happened.

Adding Akamaru to the mix made it impossible for Ami to fight against them. It's not like they completely outclassed her. It was simply the addition of a clone of equal strength that could actually take a hit was too much.

Ami lost. She wasn't very happy about it.

* * *

Sasuke-kun versus Choji was next. Sasuke-kun was confident he'd win. He should, if Choji didn't suddenly whip out a hidden jutsu.

The match began slowly. Sasuke-kun wasn't being nearly as aggressive as he was with Shikamaru. I suppose because he knew Shikamaru would never attack him first. He was waiting to see what Choji would do.

For his part, Choji seemed perfectly content to wait until Sasuke-kun made a move. Both of them just looked across the battlefield at one another. After a few moments though, Choji's arm started to enlargen, and once it was big enough, he swung. Sasuke-kun leapt over the punch, skipping off the giant arm and jumping even higher.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!" Sasuke-kun cried, blowing out loads of small fireballs that rained down on Choji, who dodged what he could, and blocked what he couldn't with his arm. Time to practice healing burns, I guess.

Sasuke-kun landed, and now he decided to go on the offensive. While Choji was still distracted by the hail of fire, he went for an attack at his exposed back. But it looked like Choji heard him coming, as he swung behind him, and his hand seemingly slammed into Sasuke-kun.

He dodged it, flipping so his body was parallel to the ground, and caught himself on one of the trees, using chakra to secure himself. All the non-Team 7 rookies gasped, apart from Aya, Shikamaru, and Shino.

Sasuke-kun stood up straight, looking down at Choji, who was looking at him in wonder. Sasuke-kun made an expression then. It was like… a mix between disappointment and irritation. What he was irritated about however, I don't know.

He made some handseals, ending with tiger, clearly preparing another fire technique. "Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" he called out, but this time, instead of sending out a fireball, he released a concentrated stream of fire down at Choji, who had no choice but to dodge.

Choji tried to fling shuriken at him, but Sasuke-kun pulled out a kunai with his free hand, deflecting the shuriken away. The stream of fire continued, starting a fire in the clearing. I saw Kakashi-sensei start to get ready to intervene.

Choji had no choice but to retreat, and when he did, Sasuke-kun smirked. And disappeared with a poof of smoke. I immediately turned to Naruto-chan. "You taught him?"

"He really wanted to know. We asked Kakashi-sensei first, and he said it would help him."

I looked at him for a few seconds, before turning back to the fight. "Teach me soon, yeah?"

"Got it, Sakura-chan!"

Choji had retreated straight into a web of wires, and the real Sasuke-kun had tightened them, ensnaring him completely. He must've made the clone right when the fight began, and switched with it to set up the trap.

Sasuke-kun's completely outplayed everyone. His fight with Kiba'll probably go the same way.

* * *

After Sasuke-kun took the time to retrieve all of his wire, which took a while, and Kakashi-sensei used a water jutsu to douse Sasuke-kun's fire, Hinata and Naruto-chan stood, facing each other. Hinata had the hugest blush on her face, as usual when that idiot's involved.

"G-Good luck, Naruto-kun."

"Huh? Oh, uh, good luck too, Hinata-chan!"

Hinata activated her Byakugan before the match started. And gasped, bringing up a hand to her mouth, and turned, looking straight at… me?

Kakashi-sensei stopped, for a moment. "Is there something wrong, Hinata?"

After a long moment, Hinata slowly shook her head, and turned, facing Naruto-chan once again. Kakashi-sensei looked at her for a while, before starting the match as usual, and then returned to the other senseis, quickly moving into conversation with them.

I shrugged, and focused again on the match. Naruto-chan had already made his clones, and they were charging Hinata, as usual. But although she looked beyond nervous, I saw something in Hinata's eyes harden.

To be honest, I kinda expected her to forfeit immediately, so I was surprised, along with pretty much everyone apart from Aya, Shino, and Shikamaru – did nothing bother those three!? – when Hinata quickly and efficiently took out two of Naruto's clones with well-placed palm strikes.

And then something incredible happened.

**Lavender Lion  
LV 18  
Hyuga Hinata**

What the _fuck!?_

Hinata fluidly moved from clone to clone, taking down each of them with ease, each only taking a single movement to destroy. In moments, there went from ten Naruto-chans to one. And Hinata didn't let up even then.

She hit him before he – before any of us – could even react. And suddenly took a stance I'd never seen before.

"Eight Trigrams: Thirty Two Palms!" She cried, and sure enough, in the blink of an eye, she hit Naruto-chan thirty two times, in seemingly random places. But I knew how the Gentle Fist worked.

But Hinata wasn't finished. "I can..!" She seemingly grunted, and in a flash, she started moving again, continuing the series of strikes and doubling the number.

"Eight Trigrams: Sixty Four Palms!" She shouted with the final hit, and Naruto-chan collapsed to his knees, and then fell down, unconscious. "Naruto-kun!" She cried, going down to check if he was okay, and then-

 **Pale Wallflower**  
LV 9  
Hyuga Hinata

_What the fuck is going on here!?_


	17. Discovery

**A Life of its Own, Prologue  
**

**This Game of Life,** **Chapter 15**

**Discovery**

No one spoke. Everyone seemed shocked by what had just happened, even the senseis. And I had the added benefit of seeing what the fuck was happening to her levels. How had her level doubled like that? And not only that, but it had returned to normal? It couldn't just be a buff she somehow activated, that didn't make any sense. Buffs didn't make me increase in level, even though they significantly increased my stats. Unless…

Did her levels… No, not just hers. Everyone else's levels, did they not work like mine did? It'd explain this… But then, how do they work if they don't work as mine do? I mean, if I assume that this hypothesis is true, then probably everyone else's level is determined by their stats, while mine is the only one determined by experience. But why would it be like that?

"Ahem… Hinata-chan is the winner, then." Kakashi-sensei said, picking up Naruto-chan from where he had fell. "We'll take another short break before we move on. Hinata-chan, could you come with me? Kurenai-sensei wants to talk to you."

"Y-Yes. Will, ah, will Naruto-kun-"

"He'll be fine," Sensei assured her, giving her a smile. "Come on." He said cheerfully, retreating back to the other two senseis. Meanwhile, we rookies were still searching for words to comment on what just happened.

"Well. That was a thing." I said, trying to at least kickstart some form of conversation.

"I think that's the understatement of the year, Sakura," Sasuke-kun stated simply, looking at Shino and Kiba. "Did either of you two know she could do that?"

"No! First time she's ever done something like that. Wish I'd known she could do it sooner, though. I'm lucky she never kicked my ass!"

"As with Kiba-san, I had no knowledge on Hinata-san being capable of such prowess as she just displayed. I am at a loss as to why she would hide these skills, only to reveal them in such a manner… Hinata-san is not the type to lust after public glory, as I'm sure you are all aware." Shino said, laying out his thoughts on the matter. He continued speaking, but I tuned him out, instead looking at Hinata with the sensei.

She seemed to be talking about something quite animatedly, which is strange for her. And… she looked right at me, like she did before the fight with Naruto-chan. She noticed my stare and quickly turned back around, but it was too late. Obviously, whatever they were talking about had to do with me… Probably whatever it was she had gasped about. Maybe… Could she see the Gamer's windows with the Byakugan or something?

Whatever it was, it would have to wait until I could get her alone and ask her about it. Maybe Kakashi-sensei'd tell me if I asked… Nah. Why would they be all secretive if that were the case? It'd be easier to just get it out of Hinata.

* * *

The break ended pretty quickly after Hinata had finished talking with the senseis. Kakashi-sensei said I shouldn't heal Naruto-chan, since the damage inflicted on him wasn't physical and I wasn't trained to unblock the chakra network. I shrugged. He knew more about the Hyuuga's fighting style than I did. The final match was a three-way fight between Sasuke-kun, Kiba, and Hinata.

Sasuke-kun didn't bother asking for information, but I didn't blame him. No one knew anything about Hinata's power boost, except possibly herself, and he'd seen pretty much everything that Kiba had to offer. I wished him good luck, though. He only nodded, but for a moment, I think I saw the ghost of a smile flit across his features.

But it lasted only for a moment, and I shook my head, clearly having been imagining things as he walked off to start his match.

* * *

As soon as the match began, all three of them jumped back. However, the simultaneous retreat lasted only for a second, for as soon as his foot touched the dirt again, Sasuke-kun blazed forwards to meet Kiba.

It was a pretty simple strategy. Hinata was an unknown with what she had just done, and was definitely looking to be the stronger of the two, but if left to his own devices, Kiba could create a clone that was just as strong as he was, and could take as much punishment too. So, he'd take him out before he had a chance to become an annoyance, and then put all his focus on Hinata.

It worked. Kiba was using the respite to prepare one of those pills for Akamaru, so the sudden appearance of Sasuke-kun caught him completely off-guard, and that, coupled with Sasuke-kun's superior skill, even if Kiba probably had the edge purely statistically, put him on the defensive instantly.

However, that didn't mean that Hinata was just going to sit and watch. She came rushing in, Byakugan blazing, a hand raised to strike Sasuke-kun in the back.

He dodged the palm strike, twisting out of the way, but that left him open to an attack by Kiba, which caught him in the chest and caused him to stumble back.

Sasuke-kun grunted, looking at the obvious unspoken alliance between the two members of Team 8. He retreated, flying through handseals. He was, apart from me, the only one of us with any real mid- to long-range techniques, something he showed off when a fireball flew out of his mouth at the two.

They both dodged by leaping upwards, and were met with a brace of shuriken flying their way. They both moved to block or dodge, so when a second set of shuriken bashed into the first, wildly changing the angles of flight, they were caught off-guard, both taking hits.

They touched down, seeing that their time in the air had given Sasuke-kun enough time to make a shadow clone. He looked tired, though, and I doubted he had many jutsu left in him at this point. Just as well he still hadn't used the Sharingan. The chakra drain from that might've sucked him dry completely by this point.

The two pairs regarded each other silently, before a bark from Akamaru sent everyone into motion, Hinata and the clone moving to the right, while Kiba, Akamaru and the original went left. I followed the movement of who I thought was the original, who threw another brace of shuriken at Kiba.

The Inuzuka again got ready to dodge, but kept an eye on Sasuke-kun, wary for the same kind of trick again.

He was right to be wary, but just of the wrong thing. The shuriken went wide, Kiba regarding that with surprise, before grinning at his luck and charging in, while the fingers of Sasuke-kun's left hand twitched.

The shuriken reversed their motion, the ninja wire tied to them pulling them right into Kiba's exposed back. He stumbled forward at the impact, opening his mouth to let out a cry of pain, when Sasuke-kun swiftly punched him in the solar plexus, knocking him out. Nodding, Sasuke-kun turned, moving over to where Hinata was.

* * *

He arrived, seeing his clone locked in a taijutsu struggle with Hinata. Neither had the upper hand. The clone couldn't approach and take risks Sasuke-kun normally would, as a single hit would cause him to pop, while Hinata, true to what the Gamer was telling me, had lost the amazing skill she had shown against Naruto-chan.

However, when the real Sasuke-kun dropped down to deliver a vicious axe kick that Hinata couldn't dodge without taking an equally vicious attack from the clone, for a moment, I saw the same fire in her eyes that she had gained before that fight.

But it faded after an instant, and overwhelmed, Sasuke-kun systematically broke down her defences with the help of his clone, swiftly knocking her out.

Sasuke-kun won the tournament, without even using his Sharingan once. Everyone else probably didn't even know he had unlocked it yet.

* * *

That was it for the day. Kakashi-sensei told us that things like that tourney would now be a regular thing, just to see where we all stood in relative strength, as well as a motivation to anyone who was falling behind to start working their ass off to catch up.

I shrugged. I healed Kiba and Hinata, then it was all over, the various teams scattering off for meetings or to go back to their homes. Hinata ran off before I could talk to her, though.

* * *

At around four in the afternoon that day, there was a knock on the door. I had been doing a bit of training out back, so when my mom lead Kakashi-sensei out to where I was, I was a little surprised.

"Hello, Sakura. Can we talk for a bit?"

"Uh, sure, Sensei."

"Alright. Come with me, then." He said, turning and walking back out of the house. Confused, I just followed him.

* * *

We walked for a while, neither of us saying anything, until my curiosity finally got the better of me.

"Um, Kakashi-sensei, where are we going?"

"To the Hokage Tower. Hokage-sama wants to see you about something."

"What about?"

"Nothing bad." He replied, leaving it at that. Now a little nervous, I kept quiet.

We got outside Hokage-sama's office, greeting the secretary outside it. "Hokage-sama called for us." Kakashi-sensei said.

"Yes," The secretary nodded. "Hatake-san and Haruno-san. Please, go in."

"Thanks," Kakashi-sensei smiled at her, before going in, as I followed meekly behind.

As I walked in, I saw Hokage-sama, of course, and three faces that I wasn't expecting. Hinata, her sensei, and an Anbu, this one wearing a rabbit mask.

"What's going on?" I asked, nervously. Hokage-sama smiled at me, trying to calm me down, and it worked. I could see why Naruto-chan called him his grandfather.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Sakura-chan. Please, sit." He said, motioning to the couch where Hinata was already sat. I tentatively moved over, before quickly sitting down.

"Now then, Sakura-chan," the Hokage continued, "You and Hinata-chan were involved in a tournament today between the rookie genin, yes?"

I nodded, him giving me a smile before he spoke again. "Now then, Hinata-chan confided in the two sensei here that she had seen something strange about your chakra system, who then told me about it. Hinata-chan, please describe what you saw."

"U-Um," Hinata stuttered, clearly nervous, everyone in the room's focus on her. "I-It was nothing like any chakra system I've seen before. I couldn't see any tenketsu at all."

There were no c-chakra pathways that I could see. And instead of the chakra being created in the n-navel, and moving through the body from there, i-it seemed to start from your brain."

And your chakra seemed to then form a… l-layer, both under and over your skin, with the layer over your skin l-losing chakra to the air around you all the time, and being constantly replenished. And the chakra inside your body was green, while the chakra outside w-was red. The outer layer a-also got more concentrated around y-your hands."

I blinked. What the hell? I guess the outer chakra layer was due to Talons and Feathers of the Vermillion Bird, which also explained the red colour, but everything else? Was it the Gamer?

I was jolted from my thoughts by the Hokage speaking again. "Rabbit, could you please confirm this?"

Seemingly nothing happened, but after a few moments, the Anbu simply nodded. That was enough for the Hokage, who nodded, dismissing the Anbu.

"Now then, Sakura-chan. Do you have any idea why or how your chakra system is so different?"

I remained silent for a moment, before saying, "I know that the outer layer of chakra is from the taijutsu style I'm learning, the Vermillion Bird of the South."

The Hokage nodded. "Yes, I'm familiar with that style. Do you have any idea why your internal chakra system is how it is?"

I instantly shook my head. "No, Hokage-sama. I'm just as confused about it as you are."

Hokage-sama seemed to ponder that for a moment, before smiling at me. "Well, that's as much as we can do now. Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan, you're free to go, although if you ever think of a reason why your chakra is this way, please tell your sensei immediately."

I nodded, bowing to Hokage-sama, and leaving as quickly as I could while still seeming polite.

* * *

The whole thing about my chakra system never really got brought up again. I, of course, tried to figure it out, but I couldn't come up with any reason why it was how it was other than the Gamer, and seeing as how saying that was real without having proof would be incredibly dumb, I kept quiet about it.

* * *

Things mainly progressed as normal, mostly doing training over D-rank missions for the most part. The group training sessions became a biweekly thing, and Aya and Ami's senseis started taking part in them too. Yoshino-sensei hosted them in the Nara compound, and she insisted on having lunch as a group afterward. I certainly wasn't going to complain.

I needled Naruto-chan for a while about the shadow clone technique, but Kakashi-sensei stopped me from learning it. I still didn't have enough chakra to use it safely, according to him.

So while that kinda sucked, I did get some stat gains from the training. Not a level, but I'm close to one.

**Name: Haruno Sakura** **  
** **Class: The Gamer** **  
** **Level: LV 12** **  
** **HP: 180/180** **  
** **MP: 96/96** **  
** **STR: 15** **  
** **VIT: 14** **  
** **DEX: 15** **  
** **INT: 58** **  
** **WIS: 33** **  
** **LUK: 10** **  
** **Points: 0**

While the boosts were mainly physical, to be honest my mental stats were high enough that I wouldn't expect there to be stat-ups there on anywhere near a regular basis. I had considered changing my training to just have purely physical work, but I hadn't decided on that yet.

* * *

I sighed in contentment from where I was, laying down beside Ami after a spar. In the four weeks since the first group session, pretty much everyone not in Team Seven had been working their asses off, Ami and Ino in particular. Both of them were level 9 now.

But that just brought thoughts back to what I had assumed to be the case with Hinata – that everyone else's levels don't work as mine do. But if that were the case, how did the two of them level up? It'd take a bit of thinking to figure this out.

She looked over at me, a teasing grin on her face. "You alright over there?"

I gave her a deadpan look, calmly saying "I'll beat your ass again if you aren't careful."

She winced. "Okay, got me there. Still, what's got you in a huff?"

"Not in a huff. Pretty much the exact opposite. This is just nice."

She blinked, before looking forward again. "Whatever you say, Sakura-chan."

"What'd you just call me?" I said, sitting up with an incredulous look on my face.

"Huh?" She asked, confused. "I called you Sakura, didn't I?"

"You said Sakura-chan. First time I've heard you call anyone that." Was she blushing? And why does she look so suddenly frightened?

"Shit, I'm sorry, it was a mistake."

"You don't need to apologise for it. It was just a surprise, is all. Don't think anything of it." I stated, now intrigued as to why she seemed so horrified.

"Um, yeah. Sorry. Just said it without thinking. Should've asked first."

"Nah, it's whatever. Why do you seem to think it's such a big deal, though?"

"Oh, I… Um, you can really insult people by being too familiar, y'know? I was scared that you might not want to be my friend anymore, or something."

"Really? You think I'd stop being friends with you over something like that? You should know me better than that, Bear-chan." I said, settling back into the lying down position, while Ami-chan let out a sigh of relief. That was such a dumb thing to worry about. I'm not that petty, am I?

* * *

Ino and I finally reconciled after the next group session, something I was quite happy about. To be honest, I wasn't all that interested in Sasuke-kun anymore. I decided I liked him more as a friend, same with Naruto-chan – actually, since I'm not going after Sasuke-kun anymore, he can be Naruto-kun now – but to be honest, I don't think it would've mattered.

* * *

A week or so after that, we had a bigger meet up planned. I was gonna convince the boys and Ami to come – and to get Ino into Sasuke-kun's good books as much as possible – while Ino was gonna get her team and Aya involved, and Hinata too if she could.

Speaking of Aya, once I became friends with Ino again, she was almost immediately less… hostile, I guess, towards me. She wasn't a friend I'd say, but she was closer than before, so I guess that's progress.

* * *

I honestly have no idea how I managed to convince Sasuke-kun that this was a good idea. From the looks he was giving me, from where Ino was borderline molesting him over the table, I'm sure he was thinking the same thing.

Meanwhile, Aya and Choji were off talking privately – I wonder if she confessed – and I'm pretty sure Hinata just fainted, judging by Naruto-kun's seeming panic, and Shikamaru, Ami-chan and I, along with the rest of the restaurant, just sat there, watching the bedlam in front of us.

Thank god this is an Akimichi restaurant. I mean, Choji's probably gonna have a lot of chores to pay for the broken crockery, but at least it'd probably be at a reduced price.


	18. Worries

**A Life of its Own, Prologue**

**This Game of Life,** **Chapter 16**

**Worries**

Well, at least something good came out of that ridiculous meeting. That being Aya and Choji were dating now. Good, I was happy for them. Aya had been crushing on him since the academy. Now the only thing I have left to do to get Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun together with Hinata and Ino. Naruto-kun would be easy, Sasuke-kun… less so.

But that isn't really important right now. Considering we were on our way to a mission, our first one in a while. I assumed it'd be a C-rank, considering how long it'd been, and I was right.

The mission itself was rather simple. A small village had been having troubles with an outside force that seemed to be a group of organised bandits.

But no matter what the mission actually was, it was rather unusual.

The village itself was much closer to the Hidden Valley village than us, being as the village was located in the Land of Rivers, rather than the Land of Fire.

Not only that, but the village itself was close enough to Hidden Valley that any issues with it should've been picked up by routine patrols by the Valley nin.

But obviously, that wasn't the case.

Kakashi-sensei picked up on this, obviously, and told us all to be on our guard. There was probably something much bigger going on here, and we'd have to figure out what.

I wondered why we had been picked for this mission, if something big could be happening under the surface. But then I realised something – no matter what _could_ be happening, it was a C-rank. Hokage-sama couldn't afford to send stronger forces on a hunch.

But he could send us, and by association, Kakashi-sensei. We could do the mission, and he could figure out what, if anything, was going on.

I kept that all to myself. I think Kakashi-sensei realised. I don't think the boys really put that much thought into it. To them, it was a mission, and that was that.

* * *

We arrived in the village a day later. Although this time we had no one to escort, it was in an entirely different country, after all.

The village itself was pretty much as expected. In the hicks, podunk. The locals stared at us, since we were obviously foreigners. It made me a little uncomfortable, but everyone else took it in stride.

There was a little wooden stage in the middle of the village, which was for performances, I guess. There was a small moat around the thing, with some stairs leading up to it.

Kakashi-sensei stopped us for a moment, looking around, before quietly saying, "Let me do all the talking." With that, we moved on, to the mayor's house.

* * *

Instantly, I could tell something was wrong. The mayor's style of dress was completely different from everyone else's. He was wearing a tailored suit. Compared to the ragged-looking clothes worn by the farmhands outside, it was a startling contrast. I could tell Kakashi-sensei felt the same.

"Oh, hello!" the mayor said, looking up from his desk. I gazed at him, Observing.

**The Chief  
LV 7  
Fukuroda Kirishima**

That was… a disturbingly high level for a civilian.

"You are the ninja I paid for, yes?" Fukuroda asked.

"Yes, we are. You are Fukuroda-san, yes?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Please, come through!" He said, standing up and beckoning us through into the main part of the building. Kakashi-sensei looked as, before we all followed him through.

"Please, sit!" He said, gesturing to the sofa in his living room. Naruto-kun sat, but after seeing us all remain standing, he quickly stood up again. Fukuroda laughed to himself at this, quickly excusing himself, and returning with a tray with four cups.

"Would any of you like something to drink?" He asked. Before any of us could even think about it, Kakashi-sensei's eye flicked towards us, completely serious. The message was clear. _Don't._

Yeah, I was right. Kakashi-sensei thought something was wrong, too.

"That's quite alright, Fukuroda-san. We ate on the way. Now then, if we could learn more about the mission..?"

"Oh, yes, of course! Well, it's pretty simple. To put it simply, there's a bandit force that has been attacking the village. We don't know where they are camped. We'd like you to find them and defeat the group."

"Alright. Is there any information on their whereabouts?"

"Unfortunately not. We're a poor village of farmers, we have no one skilled enough to track these men." I raised an eyebrow at this. I would've spoken up had Kakashi-sensei told us not to. As it is, I just wondered if he thought we were all idiots.

* * *

We got nothing else helpful from Fukuroda. Sensei didn't even accept accommodation, saying we'd find our own. Something was seriously wrong with this village.

* * *

We quickly left the village, making sure we were far enough away that no civilian could've followed us, or heard us, before Kakashi-sensei spoke up. "I'm sure you've all noticed that this village is… off."

We all nodded.

"So, we have two missions. One, to complete the original mission, provided that they aren't faking the bandit attacks," Sensei paused for a second, before continuing. "And two, to find out just what is wrong with this village."

"To that end, I brought these." He brought out the small radios that we had used to track down and capture Tora on multiple occasions. That cat was mean

"I needed to train you at least somewhat in surveillance anyway, and this is a good opportunity. We'll split up, and gather information. You can do it discreetly or openly, as long as you get results. Naruto, Sasuke, avoid using clones unless you're sure people won't see them. The less questions asked, the better."

We all nodded again, and I spoke up. "What exactly are we looking for, sensei?"

"Anything that seems out of place, essentially. And report back everything. The most minor detail could be vital."

"We'll spend a few days solely doing this, then split our attention towards this and our on-paper mission, since if we haven't found anything by then, there likely is nothing, or it's exceptionally well hidden."

We all nodded, and after setting up the equipment, all four of us disappeared.

* * *

"So, how often do these bandits attack?" I asked the old shopkeep, Observing her as I did.

**Still Lethal  
LV 6  
Kitora Yuika**

_Another_ random person with a deceptively high level. None of their levels have been above eight, thankfully, but when that's as strong as Ami was a few weeks ago, that sets off alarm bells.

"Oh, prob'ly once every week or so. They've ben a real nuisance."

"What have they been taking? Or at least trying to take?"

At this, Kitora got angry. "They've ben stealin' our food! An' I heard they're tryin' to take our girls, too!"

"I see. Well, we'll stop them soon as we can. I was just wondering, though," I said, looking her in the eye, trying to gauge her reaction. "Why did you send the mission to the Leaf, instead of Valley?"

Her eyes sharpened, and dulled again instantly. I'm unsure if she even noticed it herself. "Well, you Leaf ninja folk are a sight better than the lot here. I mean, I don't know a lot about the magic you use, but everyone everywhere says that Leaf is the best in the world."

"Oh, thank you for the compliment. I'd probably best be going now, though. I've got ninja business to take care of. It was nice meeting you!"

"Give them bandits a hidin' from Yuika!" I laughed, waving at the woman and leaving her shop, my mouth instantly setting into a line as I turned away. "Nothing special here, either…"

* * *

My first day of investigation was a complete bust. I didn't get any info other than how regular the attacks were, everyone I asked saying pretty much the same thing. Naruto-kun's day went pretty much the same way.

Sasuke-kun actually found something, though. He lead us to a house on the village outskirts. Not only was it seemingly abandoned, it was also nicer than every other house in the village other than the mayor's.

He lead us inside, using an E-rank fire jutsu to cast away the shadows formed from the dusky light. He went upstairs to the first floor, all of us following him. "Look at this." He said, pointing at the floorboards.

"I can't see anything." I said, confused, but Kakashi-sensei looked closely.

"I see." He said, dropping into a squat and pointing at a patch of slightly different coloured wood. "That discolouration shows someone tried to get in there, most likely by trying to use fire. And,"

He paused, rapping against the floorboards as he did. "That's hollow. There's definitely something in there." He placed his palm against the floor, waiting for a second, but nothing happened.

"Brute force, then." He seemingly said to himself, as lightning sparked up around his fist, and he thrust it into and through the floorboards. That was a cool technique.

He pulled his hand out of the hole, then gripped each side of it and simply ripped it open with ease, and beckoned us over to look inside.

"It's a weapon stockpile." I said, shocked.

"Not just that. It's a _ninja_ weapon stockpile." Sasuke-kun added. "Look, most of it is kunai and shuriken, and there are ninjato and ninja wire in there as well."

Kakashi-sensei looked grim. "This doesn't bode well. We might have to call this mission a bust."

"Huh? Why?" Naruto-kun asked.

"Because if there are actual trained ninja in this village, we probably won't be able to handle it. I don't think any of them would be even on the level of those chunin you fought, but the sheer number would wear us down."

"How do you know there's a lot of ninja, sensei?" I asked.

"This is a stockpile that has enough weapons for an entire clan. The Uchiha weapons stock is smaller than this." Sasuke-kun said.

"New plan. No more open investigation. Be discrete as possible. If you think you've been found out, let the rest of the team know _immediately_. Got it?"

"Yes, sensei!"

"Good." He looked around, before nodding. "We'll sleep here tonight. Sakura, take first watch. Naruto, you're next, then Sasuke, then me."

We nodded, all going to find somewhere to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Kakashi-sensei confronted me. "Sakura, why didn't you wake any of us up for watch?"

I sighed, and answered truthfully. "I don't need to sleep. It's in our best interest that you guys are all fully rested, so I just took watch the whole night."

"You don't need to sleep?"

"I think it's because of-"

"I see. Well, still. You might not need to sleep, but it's likely better for you than sitting at watch for hours on end. In the future, watch rotates as normal."

"Yes, sensei."

* * *

We split up again for our investigations. I spent a bit of time walking around the village, looking for good vantage points in preparation, when I heard two older men talking.

"Bah! Why'd Kirishima call in them ninja folk? They cannae help us!"

"I don't know, Sanji. We can-"

"No! We dinnae need them! Rinka-sama's more than enough!"

"But we can't risk her! What if she were killed, or captured? No, Kirishima was right. Having the ninja fight instead means she's safe."

"…I suppose you're right, Kazu."

"Speaking of Rinka-sama, shouldn't the ritual be happening now?"

"Ah, you're right! We cannae miss that!"

At that, the men got up, rushing towards the centre of the village. They were just another pair of hicks that didn't realise what ninja could really do.

…That being said, that was some actual new information. And not only that, but this Rinka was having a ritual? I assumed it was on the stage I had seen earlier. After all, the men were headed in that direction. Nodding to myself, I jumped up to the roof of a house and moved to the stage.

* * *

Was the entire village here? It sure seemed like it. I guess this wasn't a regular occurrence. I could see a girl standing upon the stage, that I assumed was Rinka. She looked about 14.

She was wearing traditional miko garb; a long, red, slightly pleated skirt tied with a bow, a white haori, and some white hair ribbons. She had long chestnut brown hair currently tied into a ponytail, and from what I could see, her eyes were pink. But she didn't look happy. Far from it, in fact.

After a few moments, she began moving, going into a traditional dance. I would've left if that was it, but as her movements became more frantic, water from the moat began moving up around her, following her movements.

Now I was intrigued. Looking closely, I could see streams of water just following the movements of her hands, enhancing the beauty of her dance. It looked like a simple water jutsu. But the crowd was definitely entertained.

I was too far away and her movements were too fast for me to make out any handseals she may have made, so I don't know if it was something that came naturally for her, or a jutsu. But she enthralled me. I was watching the dance with bated breath.

And then, her speed peaked, and in a sudden climax, she threw both her hands to the sky.

And four trees sprouted from the ground, twisting around her until they met a single point above her hands in the sky, and my heart skipped a beat, as I instantly Observed her.

With shaky hands, I activated my transmitter, eyes still glued to the scene in front of me. "Guys? There's something important I need to tell you."

"What is it, Sakura?" Kakashi-sensei asked, all business.

"Well, uh,"

 **The Priestess of Nature**  
LV 10  
Senju Rinka

"They've got a Senju here."


	19. Retrieval

**A Life of its Own, Prologue**

**This Game of Life,** **Chapter 17**

**Retrieval**

"A Senju? Are you sure, Sakura?"

"Well, considering that I just saw her use Wood Release, I'm pretty fucking sure!" I frantically said, my eyes staying trained on Rinka as the crowd let out an uproar of cheering and clapping.

"She used Wood Release?!" Kakashi-sensei exclaimed, pausing and then continuing after a few moments, voice more serious than I had ever heard it before. "I'm sending word back to the village. This changes everything."

"Our mission here is over. We have something much more important to do, something that could be considered S-rank. We're bringing that Senju back with us."

"But what about the bandits-" Naruto-kun started, before being cut off.

"This is _far_ more important than some bandit raid, Naruto. Finding a surviving Senju, and one with Wood Release at that? She needs to be brought back to the village _yesterday._ It's a miracle that Valley or any other village haven't found her yet."

"Sakura, can you speak to her?"

"I can try."

"Good. Try and befriend her, get her to come around to the idea of coming back with us. It'll make our job much easier if she's willing. Regardless of if you can pull it off, however, she _will_ be coming with us. We'll be leaving tomorrow night."

"I'll do my best, sensei."

"Good girl." The transmission ended. Sasuke-kun hadn't said a word the whole time. Was he angry about finding a Senju or something like that?

* * *

I watched the proceedings carefully. The mayor – Fukuroda – walked up to Rinka, grabbing her hand and raising it up, to the approval of the crowd. She looked uncomfortable.

The trees slowly faded from the stage, leaving it as pristine as it had been before, other than the puddles of water left behind by her water manipulation. The mayor was mouthing off about something, seeming to rile up the crowd, but Rinka just kept that uncomfortable look on her face. At some point, it just morphed into displeasure.

Eventually, though, Fukuroda's speech ended, and the crowd began to fade. Rinka and Fukuroda were left alone on the stage. Fukuroda whispered something in Rinka's ear, and she recoiled but didn't respond in any other way. He let go of her hand and left her standing there. I took that as my chance.

I got as close as I could on the roofs, before dropping down in front of her. She flinched in shock, but after that initial moment of shock, she regarded me with confusion.

I looked at her in return. She was quite pretty. Like Hinata and Ino, she had that… princess look about her. But she wasn't doll-like, like Hinata, or someone who cared about her looks above all else, like Ino.

She was pretty in a more… rugged way than most people our age were. She was tanned, and from what I could see from her hands, they actually had quite a few callouses, suggesting that she joined everyone in farming.

But her hair had the same silky smooth look to it that I associated with Ino, and her clothes, like Fukuroda's, were of a much higher quality than everyone else's, both in material and condition.

I took this all in as my gaze drifted up her body to her eyes, where I saw that my guess was right; she had pink eyes. She had pupils, though, unlike that Rock kunoichi.

She blinked, then spoke.

"Who… are you?"

I smiled. "Haruno Sakura, genin of the Hidden Leaf. And you are?"

"Uh… Rinka. You're… you're the ninja that Kirishima-sama hired? But you're younger than I am…" She said. It's not like it wasn't obvious, what with her being half a head taller than me.

"Well, it's not like they just sent me. I'm here with my team, of course. But yeah, we start pretty young." I paused to let that sink in for a moment before I continued, determined to make our new new mission as easy as possible.

"I saw your performance thing. It was pretty cool!" There's the hook.

"You were watching?" She asked, surprised, before her eyes narrowed a bit. "Shouldn't you be finding out where the bandits are?"

I chuckled, thinking of a response. She was sharp for a civilian. If she even was one. Did Wood Release come instinctively even if you don't have formal training?

"We have no information to go off of, and we aren't a tracking-oriented team. Sensei's out looking for anywhere the bandits might be, so, for now, we're basically on leave until he finds something or they attack again."

"Oh, okay. That makes sense, actually." She said, her interrogative expression melting away back into a neutral one. "Well, uh, I'm glad you liked the dance. I've spent a long time practicing."

"I could tell! Especially with those water jutsu you used! And that tree jutsu was amazing too! I've never seen anything like it." And there's the bait.

"Jutsu? What's that?" Uh. Okay then.

I blinked, looking at her. "You don't know? But how did you make those trees grow? And make the water follow your hands?"

She shrugged. "I've known how to make stuff grow like that for as long as I can remember. And Kirishima-sama taught me how to control water like that. All I have to do is make some weird shapes with my hands and it just happens."

So… Fukuroda at least has ninja training. Not very _good_ training, considering his level, but still. Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-kun were right, there are trained ninja here.

"Oh, that's a jutsu then. Those weird shapes are called handseals!"

"Handseals?"

"Yup! Watch this." I put my hands into a string of random handseals, faking the fact that I needed them, ending on the Tiger seal, prepared to use one of my techniques. A thought came to me, however, so I inhaled, raising my face skyward.

And then I exhaled, shooting out a plume of flames upwards, where they dispersed into the clouds. Idly, I also realised that'd probably alert sensei and the boys to where I was.

**A skill has been created through a special action! Through the combination of flame mana and exhalation, the skill 'Flamethrower' has been created!**

Ooh, nice.

"Whoa!" She exclaimed in surprise, taking a step back. I looked back at her and grinned.

"That's just one of the jutsu I know. I know lots of others, too!"

"That was… pretty cool. Can you teach me some?"

I gave her a sad look. "Sorry, I don't think I'm allowed. They're meant to be secret and stuff." I acted like I had a flash of inspiration, and grinned at her. "I know! If you come back to the village with us, we can ask if you can become a ninja! Then you can learn all the jutsu you want!"

"Wow, really? Then I want to go with you guys!" She happily exclaimed, before visibly deflating. "…But I can't. Kirishima-sama won't let me leave. If I'm not here to do the fertility ritual – that dance you just saw – then the village might starve."

I snorted. "Fertility ritual? I don't think that exists. I think he wants you here for something else." I said, and she looked away. For a moment, I cast away the bubbly persona I had taken on to try and befriend this girl to ask a serious question. I think we'd get along regardless anyway.

"I saw you two together, and I saw how you reacted. What did he say to you?" I calmly asked, trying to gently probe for information.

She let out a heavy sigh. "I don't think I can-"

"I'm a ninja, Rinka. Our job is to protect the people. You're part of those people, regardless of if you live in Fire Country or not. You can tell me. I can promise not to tell anyone else if that's the deal breaker."

"You… promise you won't say anything?"

"Yep! I promise."

"Well, um…" She sighed again, before looking me in the eye and continuing. "He told me that 'the plan' won't work without me, and how he… needs me. He said that since he took me in, it's only fair that I repay him. He wasn't really clear about what he meant, but it just creeped me out."

Thank god for your innocence, Rinka.

"That fucking pig!" I angrily exclaimed, looking in the direction of his house as I clenched my fists, already feeling flames starting to form in my palms.

"S-Sakura, what's wrong?" I ignored her for a moment, while I calmed myself down. Clearly from the way she'd described it, nothing had happened. Yet. I'm quite happy we're taking her back to the Leaf. Forget enemy ninja finding her, she's just not going to get raped by someone she probably thinks of as a father there!

I let out a shaky breath and forced a smile. "Nothing, Rinka. Everything's fine. But, uh, everyone has to leave the nest at some point. You're just choosing to do it now. He can't control you forever."

"Yeah, that's true…"

"It'll be okay. Why don't you ask him and tell me what he says?"

"Okay, I'll do that. Thanks, Sakura." She gave a smile, the first one I'd seen on her since I saw her on that platform. And it was so genuine that I couldn't help but smile in return.

"Good luck! I wanna introduce you to all my friends when we go back to the Leaf!"

Man, I'm never gonna do infiltration missions. There's no way I'm not gonna get attached.

* * *

The rest of that day was uneventful. By the time we had met up back in the abandoned house, Kakashi-sensei had already sent word back to the village, and even received a response.

"Sakura, how did it go with the Senju?"

"Excellently. And her name is Rinka, sensei."

Kakashi-sensei raised an eyebrow at the second statement. I could tell that he'd already figured out that the friendship beginning to form between Rinka and I was mutual. But instead of getting angry and chewing me out, like I expected, he actually smiled and mussed up my hair.

"Good work, Sakura."

I batted his hand away, blushing. "That's embarrassing, sensei."

"Alright, all of you," Kakashi-sensei said, back to business. "Change of plans once again. Hokage-sama's sending out a chunin team instead of another genin cell to take over our investigation. They'll be here faster than expected because of that, so we'll be leaving tomorrow morning, instead of the night."

"Sakura, you'll need to get your friend ready to leave. Tell her not to worry about leaving belongings behind if they can be replaced, the village will take care of that."

"Got it, sensei."

"Naruto, Sasuke, I want you two to distract Fukuroda-san. I doubt he'll take very well to seeing the key to his 'plan' being taken from the village by us."

"Can we use shadow clones?" Sasuke-kun asked.

"Of course, anything goes."

"What are you going to do, sensei?"

"Demolishing this house. I've already checked it for anything else incriminating, and all that information has been relayed to the other team. I'm removing it both to destroy the weapons and to remove evidence we were here."

"Why do we have to remove evidence we were here?" Naruto-kun asked.

"This is technically Valley's jurisdiction. If they find out we were here, they could use that as an excuse to say that we were trying to invade and go and start a war. We'd crush them if they tried anything of the sort of course, but I'd rather remove the possibility entirely."

"Oh, okay. That makes sense." Naruto-kun said.

"Is everyone clear?" After waiting for us all to nod, Kakashi-sensei nodded himself. "Then get some sleep. Watch is the reverse rotation from yesterday. We've got a big day ahead of us."

* * *


	20. Escape

**A Life of its Own, Prologue**

**This Game of Life,** **Chapter 18**

**Escape**

The next morning, I went to check on Rinka, while everyone else started to get ready to leave. I couldn't find her anywhere outside, so I went back to the rooftops of the village, moving to the mayor's house and going to check the windows on the second floor.

The first room I looked into must've been the mayor's own. It was incredibly extravagant for a village like this one, which would be another red flag if that was still our main concern. Which it wasn't. I merely noted it was vacant, and moved to the next room.

I got RInka's room on the second window. She was in there, seemingly doing nothing except sitting on her bed. I noted that she wasn't wearing her miko outfit from the day before, rather simply an extravagant kimono instead.

Without warning, I let myself into her room, her eyes flicking towards me at the sound of the window opening. As she recognised me, she began to smile, but it faded quickly.

"Hey." I said happily, hopping through into her room.

"Hi, Sakura." She replied quietly.

"I'm guessing things didn't go well with Fukuroda-dono, huh?"

"Yeah… he said that I can't come with you. I'm needed here."

"Well, to be perfectly honest with you," I started, walking over to her and sitting myself down next to her, "My team and I don't particularly care what he has to say about it. It's not his life, so it's not his decision is the way I see it. I only care if you want to go or not."

She looked away before she responded. "Well… I do have a lot of duties here, and I'm not sure how easily they could find someone to take my place-"

"Rinka, that's not what I'm asking. I don't want to know why you _shouldn't_ go, I want to know if despite that, you still want to."

She was silent for a minute. I opened my mouth to try and continue convincing her, but she cut me off, looking me in the eyes. "Yeah. I wanna come with you all."

I smiled. "Great! Then lemme help you pack. We're leaving soon."

"What about the mission?"

"My team's needed at home," I swiftly lied, "so they're sending in replacements so we can head back."

"Oh, okay… I have a lot of stuff, though."

"Yeah, you can't bring all of it, unfortunately. Bring everything important that you can't have replaced. We'll take care of everything else when we get home."

"But what about clothes and stuff?"

"Don't worry about it. The village is gonna treat you like a princess, I know it. You'll be taken care of until you can take care of yourself."

"Why would they do that?"

"Tell you later. Come on," I said, standing up. "Let's get a move on. We don't have much time."

"Right!" Giving her a smile as she smiled at me, I turned away, turning on the radio transmitter.

"She's fully convinced now. I'm helping her pack."

" _Right."_ Kakashi-sensei responded. _"Naruto, Sasuke, it's up to you two now."_

" _Sakura, how much time do you need?"_ Sasuke-kun asked.

"Thirty minutes should be fine."

" _You heard her, Naruto. Don't forget."_

" _Hey, you just remember to do your part! I'm not gonna forget!"_ Naruto-kun exclaimed in his defence.

" _Alright, thirty minutes it is. Don't be late."_

" _Shouldn't we be saying that to you?"_ Naruto-kun got a bit wittier at some point.

"See you then." I turned off my transmitter, turning around to see Rinka looking at me. I had made sure to be quiet, so she likely hadn't heard any of what I had said, and certainly didn't hear anyone else.

"I was just talking to my team, seeing how much time we have till we leave. We've only got thirty minutes, so we've gotta pack fast!"

"Oh, right! Yeah!" She said, and the two of us began to do just that.

* * *

Rinka slipped on the backpack that she had put all her irreplaceable, sentimental possessions in, and took a look at the room, seeing how full of stuff it still was. "I never really realised I didn't _need_ this stuff until now. What's the point of even getting it all?"

"Just because you don't need it doesn't mean there's no point to it." I said simply. "Come on, we need to get moving. Get on my back, I can carry you."

She looked at me doubtfully, but complied, and when she saw how easily I lifted her up into a piggyback, she deigned not to comment on my strength compared to my outward appearance. I stepped onto the windowsill, looking back at her. "Hold on tight." I stated, grinning, and then I took off for the entrance of the village.

It wasn't at max speed, of course. I would be in danger of hurting her pretty severely if I did that. But it was still much faster than anything she had ever experienced. She didn't even really have time to process it, though, as I stopped on a roof.

A huge amount of chakra was being gathered near the southern gate. Although we were headed to the western gate, it was such an absurd amount of chakra that I could clearly piece out its general direction.

I wondered for a moment just what was going on, until the chakra disappeared, and in a huge plume of smoke, a group of bandits appeared outside of the southern village entrance. Thankfully, since she has no real training, I don't think Rinka could sense the chakra, or enhance her vision enough to see the bandits from her. If she could, I don't think I could answer her inevitable questions.

Vaguely, I realised this must be the distraction, and the chakra was probably Naruto-kun gathering the energy to create enough clones to form the bandit horde. I wondered how much chakra he had available to do this, if Kakashi-sensei didn't think I had enough for one yet.

It was then Irealised that Rinka had been asking why we had stopped, and I shook out the cobwebs, saying, "Sorry, got a bit distracted by something. Don't let go, we're moving again now." With that, we began our quick journey to the western gate, while I could vaguely hear and see the villages beneath us panicking about the bandits.

* * *

We were the first to arrive, besides Kakashi-sensei. Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun quickly joined us, though, and as soon as they did, we left again. We travelled without stopping, until we were well into the Land of Fire, and we reached a marked clearing.

"Right." Kakashi-sensei said. "We're stopping here for now, until the team that's replacing us arrives and we can fill them in on exactly what we've learned. After that, we'll be heading to the village. This is going to be the only break, so use it wisely."

Hearing that, I woke Rinka up from where she had fallen asleep on my back. She seemed surprised at how far we'd gone, and Sasuke-kun left the clearing while Naruto-kun quickly talked to Kakashi-sensei.

"We're waiting for the new team to come here so we can tell them stuff we learned on the mission. When that's done, the next stop's the village."

"Oh, okay. Umm…"

"What's up?" I asked.

"Well, can you introduce me to your teammates? I didn't really get a chance to do it before."

"Oh, yeah, of course." I replied, bringing her over to Naruto-kun, his chat already over. "Naruto-kun, this is Rinka. Rinka, Naruto-kun."

"Nice to meet you, Naruto."

"Nice to meet you too, Rinka-chan!" He grinned, putting his hands behind his head. He went to continue, but I pulled her away, taking her to Kakashi-sensei.

"Rinka, this is my sensei, Hatake Kakashi."

Kakashi-sensei smiled at her. "It's a pleasure."

She was caught a little off-guard, blushing before she simply said, "You too," in a subdued voice.

Not paying attention to this, however, I then brought her to Sasuke-kun, who was just re-entering the clearing from whatever he had left to do. "Rinka, Sasuke-kun. Sasuke-kun-"

"I know who she is." Sasuke-kun interrupted me, his voice cold. The coldest I'd heard it since our team introduction, in fact. What was up with him?

Rinka was understandably confused, but to her credit, she took it in stride. "Um, okay. Nice to meet you?"

"I wish I could say the same about you, Senju." Inwardly, I slapped a palm to my head. OF course that was it. The Senju and Uchiha had always had a rivalry, and if nothing else, Sasuke-kun had immense pride in his clan. How had I not realised that before?

"What's that supposed to mean, huh?" She angrily asked. Huh, that was quick. I think she might have a temper.

"Exactly what I said."

"What's your problem with my family?"

"Simple. I'm an Uchiha."

"What's an Uchiha?"

"…It doesn't matter. I have nothing more to say to you, _Senju_."

"Yeah, well, you're an asshole, _Uchiha_."

"Hmph."

"Hmph!" The two of them turned away, Sasuke-kun with an expressionless face, while Rinka was clearly fuming. I would've stepped in to try and diffuse some of the tension between the two of them, had the replacement team not come into the clearing at that very moment.

Sighing, I turned around. I can deal with them back in the Leaf.

* * *

We made it back to the village late that night. Rinka had stayed up this time, taking in the sights as she travelled on my back. She was pretty excited by the time we actually reached the village. Kakashi-sensei stopped us, however.

"Rinka, you have to go in for processing." Seeing the frightened glance she gave me, before she could panic anymore he added, "Don't worry about a thing. Everyone has to go through it before they enter the village, it's just a safety procedure. It'll take a day at most, and then you'll be free."

Even still, she gave me another glance, and as I smiled and started to reassure her, I felt a little touched that she already trusted me to this extent. "You'll be fine. And I'll be waiting for you when you get out, okay? Don't worry."

"…Okay then." She said, slowly going to follow the chunin that was going to take her to where the visitor processing took place. She took one last glance back for she went through the door, and I simply smiled at her as the door closed. I hope that was enough for her to feel safe.

Once she had gone, Kakashi-sensei went up to the otherchunin at the gate, simply saying, "Tell Hokage-sama that she's the Senju we found." Thechunin slowly nodded, and then let us all in.

* * *

We had a quick debriefing. All it was was telling Hokage-sama about Rinka, and him telling us that Rinka's retrieval would count as an A-rank mission in our records, and we'd be paid accordingly. I scratched my head. Somehow, we had no C-ranks, but two A-ranks. It was a little ridiculous, honestly.

* * *

True to my word, I waited all day for Rinka to get out of processing. She got out in the middle of the afternoon, and gave me a hug as she saw me, which I of course returned. I took the chance then to introduce her to Ami-chan and Ino, who then went and introduced her to Shikamaru, Choji, and Aya.

She got on really well with Ami, and surprisingly, Aya. It wasn't all that blatant, but by the end of the day, if Aya wasn't with Choji, she was with Rinka. In the span of a day, she'd managed to get her to open up more than even Ino had. It was pretty amazing to watch.


	21. Relax

**A Life of its Own, Prologue**

**This Game of Life,** **Chapter 19**

**Relax**

* * *

I spent a lot of time in the next week just hanging out with Rinka, Ami-chan, Ino and Aya when she felt like it. It was fun, and it was something that I hadn't really done since graduation. I'm honestly glad I just took a break like that.

* * *

Once I began training again, I noticed something. I called up a Magic Bullet, looking closely at it. I realised that it most certainly was bigger than it had used to be. Before, the cube hadn't even been as wide as my palm. Now it was wider than the width of my hand with all my fingers extended outwards as far as they could go.

Curious, as I hadn't really used it offensively in a while, I fired it at a nearby tree. It exploded on impact, leaving a sizable crater in the thing. But… I didn't like that.

Before, when it had been smaller, the bullets hadn't exploded on impact, they'd pierced through things. They'd only explode if whatever they hit was too dense and they ran out of energy trying to drill through. That was much more useful, in my opinion. If I want explosions, I've got Fireball.

I summoned up another Bullet, looking at it, thinking about how I could make it so it pierced again. My initial idea of just condensing it so it was smaller worked to an extent, but it took time to do, which I worried I wouldn't have in an important fight.

An idea came to me, however. I made another Bullet, and split it along three lines, essentially cutting it down to 8 smaller, identical cubes. Looking at the 8 separate cubes now floating above my hands, I knew I was on to something. I fired them at a tree next to the one I had tested out the original Magic Bullet on.

On inspection, I could see 8 square holes going right through the tree trunk. I smiled.

* * *

Although I had that shiny new Flamethrower skill to train, I decided for the most part to put my Fire element training on hold for now. After all, Sasuke-kun kinda already filled that niche. Instead, I decided it'd probably be a good idea to start training my Earth nature instead.

Only problem was that Earth didn't really lend itself all that well to being manipulated in the way I manipulated a Magic Bullet, or a Fireball. I didn't have any techniques I could modify to create an Earth skill, so I had to do this the old fashioned way.

I asked Kakashi-sensei for an Earth jutsu, and surprisingly, he said he'd teach me two, maybe even three, if I helped him out with something. I of course agreed.

* * *

"Alright, Sakura. Tell me if you feel any different." Kakashi-sensei stated, before placing something on my back. I waited for a bit, before shaking my head.

"Nothing?"

"I'm just wondering what you put on my back, Sensei."

"Could you use a jutsu for me?"

"Sure." Holding out my hand, I created a Magic Bullet. "Is that good enough?"

"Yes, thank you." He took whatever it was off of my back, and I turned, facing him.

"So, what was that about?" I asked politely.

"That was a chakra restriction seal. I was using it to test a hypothesis about your chakra system."

I recalled the conversation in Hokage-sama's office about that. Nodding, I said, "Okay, so what was the hypothesis?"

"Well, due to your chakra system having a completely different source and no traditional pathways, we – that is, Hokage-sama, our primary chakra researcher, Hyuuga Konoe-san and I – entertained the idea that you don't have tenketsu, or if you do, you don't use them."

"Konoe-san dismissed this idea almost instantly, saying that that was impossible, and that you'd be dead if that were true. However, I thought that it might have some merit. So I used this to check. And I was right. You don't have tenketsu."

"How do you know?"

"Chakra seals work in a similar way to the Hyuuga clan's Gentle Fist. The exact principles are different, but it's the same general idea, wherein by blocking your tenketsu, they restrict the flow of chakra, only allowing it to flow to where it is needed for the body to survive, and nowhere else."

"The fact that the seal completely unaffected you means one of two things. One, the strength of your chakra burnt out the seal, making it ineffective. Or two, you had no tenketsu for the seal to block. And considering that if that seal were placed on me, I wouldn't be able to access my chakra, it must've been the second option."

"So…" I paused, thinking about this. "This is a good thing then, right? My chakra can't be restrained by seals, and the Hyuuga clan taijutsu won't work on me either. That's great!"

"Neither of those are strictly true, Sakura. While general chakra seals can't block your access to chakra, I'm sure it's possible to create a seal that is specifically tailored to your chakra system, which would leave you in a bad position were the seal or even just info about your chakra to leak to another village."

"And with the Hyuuga, they're probably now more dangerous to you now. The Gentle Fist can be incredibly lethal if the user targets your organs instead of your tenketsu, and considering that any Hyuuga facing you will have no other option… If you're not careful, even a friendly spar could end in your death."

That sobered me up a bit. "Whoa… so not all good, then. I see. Thanks for warning me, sensei."

"That is my job. Now then, let's see what Earth jutsu we can get you, hmm?"

* * *

True to his word, Kakashi-sensei got me three Earth jutsu. Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation, Earth Release: Earth Style Wall, and Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears. Otherwise known as a support/capture jutsu, a defensive technique, and an offensive one. I lost no time in starting to practice with all three.

* * *

"Hey, Sakura."

"Oh. Hey, Rinka." I said, turning around from the earthen wall I had just made to look at her. "What're you doing on the training grounds?"

"Well, I kinda decided that I want to become a ninja."

"Really? That's great!"

"Yeah!" She replied, before playing with her fingers a bit and continuing. "So uh. How do I do that?"

"Oh, uh. Huh. I don't know who you would talk to about that, actually. Maybe Kakashi-sensei would know. I can go ask him if you'd like-"

"No, that's fine. I know what he looks like, I can find him. Don't want to interrupt your training or anything."

"Oh, okay. If you say so."

"Yeah. Okay, I'll see you later then. Come around to the Senju compound later. It gets kinda lonely by myself."

"I'll do that." Rinka excused herself, as I turned back to the wall. "Well, there's only one way to get rid of this." Sliding into a taijutsu stance, I charged at the wall, intent on breaking it down with my bare fists.

* * *

We went back to taking missions after taking a two week break. They were mainly C-ranks, but they were uninteresting ones. At least it was helping to fill out our lopsided mission records.

* * *

After our first actual C-rank, which had gone off without a hitch and only taken a day, we had another one of the joint training sessions. To my surprise, Rinka was also there. I approached her, wondering if she had really become a ninja in that short amount of time.

Her clothes were different, at least. She wasn't wearing her usual kimono, instead she was wearing a simple training shirt and skirt, with sandals on. Her hair was still tied up in her regular ponytail.

"How come you're here, Rinka? Are you a ninja already?"

"Not yet. Hokage-sama said that I already knew quite a lot of what was necessary to become a ninja like you guys, but I was lacking in a lot of the practical stuff. Kakashi-sensei said that it might be a good idea for me to join in with you guys here, so I could start learning stuff without having to go to the Academy."

"Oh, okay. Are they sure it's a good idea, though? We don't play around here. You could get really hurt."

"Hokage-sama agreed, so I guess."

"Well, I guess his judgement is better than mine." I said, pretty much ending the conversation there, and just in time too.

"Alright then, kiddies. We're going to be doing something a little different today." Kakashi-sensei said, stepping from where he, Kurenai-sensei, Asuma-sensei and Yoshino-sensei stood. Ami's sensei hadn't turned up, again. I guess he was just intimidated from being around the jonin sensei and the Nara matriarch.

"With the addition of Rinka here," He gestured towards her, and all eyes turned to her, Sasuke-kun glowering at her. Kakashi-sensei gave him a pointed glare, however, and after grumbling a bit, he just turned away. "we now have twelve of you little genin. So now, we can do what we had intended to from the start. Team fights."

"This first time round, we'll do the teams that you were assigned. In the future though, we will probably be shaking the teams up a little, to get you used to the idea working with different teammates."

"Rinka, Ami, and Aya, since you three don't have a team, you'll be partnered up for today." Looking around, I could see that the three of them didn't seem unhappy with that prospect. "Any questions? No? Great!" Kakashi-sensei asked without waiting for an answer.

"Team 10, Team 7, get ready to go."

* * *

**Mrs. Beauty  
LV 9  
Yamanaka Ino**

**Lethargic Genius  
LV 8  
Nara Shikamaru**

**Big Boned Protector  
LV 11  
Akimichi Choji**

"Guys," I whispered, as we faced Team 10. "Choji's definitely the strongest on their team, but I think we should leave him for last."

"Then who should we go for?" Sasuke-kun asked.

"Shikamaru."

"Why?"

"He's somehow both their weak link and their anchor. Ino's gotten a lot stronger lately, so I think she's stronger than him. If we take him out, they lose their brain, and he's the easiest to take down too."

"Alright. Shikamaru it is then." Sasuke-kun said simply, while Naruto-kun nodded, and all three of us stared straight ahead, itching for the battle to start.

"Begin."

At the simple command, we all instantly scattered, while Team 10 clustered closer together, so someone had eyes on each direction. Looking at them from a bush, I decided against using my False Surroundings. While Sasuke-kun could get through it with his Sharingan, Naruto-kun'd be left in a bad position.

Picking up a rock from the ground, I threw it at Ino to see her reaction, while moving as I threw it to make sure they didn't know where I was. Choji caught it easily, and a shadow snaked out to where I was running. Had I not leapt up a tree, Shikamaru would've caught me.

"Huh. Maybe this won't be so easy." I said to myself.

Five of Naruto's clones broke through the underbrush, but they were all swatted away by Choji's massive arm. As that happened, however, a fireball came through from the other direction, forcing Team 10 to break their tight formation.

I took the chance, Lunging straight for Shikamaru as he leapt away. I collided with him in the air, tackling him to the ground, and found myself unable to move, as he slipped from my grasp, hands in the Rat seal as I copied his movements.

"Shadow Imitation success." He drawled out lethargically. "Let's move on with the plan."

"Choji's keeping Naruto and Sasuke-kun busy for now, but he probably can't last that long against both of them." Ino said. "Sorry about this Sakura, but this gets you out of the way. Plus, you're stronger than me anyway. Mind Body Switch!" Her body collapsed as a blue projectile short towards me.

It hit me just as Shikamaru's shadow retracted, and I recoiled like someone had punched me full on in the face. I felt Ino start to invade my mind, but abruptly, the connection was severed. I realised what had just happened, and I grinned. Gamer's Mind, you might've just gotten me a victory here.

"Ugh…" Ino groaned, and Shikamaru was instantly on alert, but it was too late. I grabbed him, pulling him over to where Ino was, roughly bringing their heads together and knocking them both out.

I brushed off my hands on my skirt, and readjusted my scarf, before moving to help the boys. Not like they needed it, though.

* * *

"Human Bullet Tank!" Choji cried, turning into a huge ball, heading straight for Naruto-kun. I slipped in front of him, much to his surprise, and slammed my palms into the ground.

"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!" A wall of packed earth sprung up in front of me, and Choji charged straight into it. To be fair, he was slowly breaking through it. It's just that he was taking far too long for it to mean anything.

All I heard were four impacts, and then Sasuke-kun saying, "Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu!" before a stream of flame impacted the wall, and Choji as well, I assume. Considering that his attempt to break through the wall stopped at that point, I think I was right about that.

Team 7 took the victory of course, and I took up healing duties again. But really, we should've lost that fight. Had it not been for Gamer's Mind, we probably would've. It's a good reminder that athough we might be an order of magnitude stronger than Team 10, that doesn't mean we're invincible.


	22. Combat

**A Life of its Own, Prologue**

**This Game of Life,** **Chapter 20**

**Combat**

It looked like I was back on healing duty, and I hadn't made my job easy for myself. Both Shikamaru and Ino could easily have concussions, and Choji had some pretty bad burns from Sasuke-kun's jutsu. All of them were unconscious, so I decided to start with Choji. His wounds were the least potentially complicated, and he'd be the one in the most pain if he woke up before I healed him, so it was only fair.

As I started healing up Team 10, I noticed Aya, Ami-chan and RInka quietly talking, probably hashing out some brief strategies. Aya looked calm and in control as always, while Rinka had a look of determination on her face. Ami-chan just looked excited to fight. It made me smile to myself as I refocused on healing.

* * *

I was only around halfway through healing Choji when the fight between Team 8 and Aya's team began. I kept an eye on it, but made sure that healing was my main focus. I may not be close to Choji or anything, but I'd still feel awful if I managed to mess up the healing and make it worse.

Because of that, my first glimpse of the battle was Aya and Ami-chan engaging the whole of Team 10, and Rinka in the back, looking completely out of her depth. I focused on her, worried, and saw her panicked looks around, before she shut her eyes and clamped her hands on her ears, trying to block out the unfamiliar sights and sounds of battle.

She didn't seem like she was able to completely stop the sounds reaching her, judging by her frenetic shaking. Kiba noticed this, and took the opportunity to break away and approach her.

She had no idea he was coming, but she moved her hands from her ears, and slammed them together into a seal. At once, four trees sprouted from the ground around her, and twisted together into a dome, cutting her, and Kiba who had almost gotten close enough to touch her, off from the world.

"Rinka!" Aya screamed in worry, having just seen that happen. As she heard her, Ami-chan glanced back, eyes widening as she saw the wooden dome that Rinka had created. I didn't have to look around to see that most everyone else was in a similar state.

But the moment passed, and Aya once again re-entered her calm status quo. She hit Hinata with a hard knee, sending her stumbling back, and moved to follow up, nodding to Ami-chan as she passed. Ami-chan nodded back, and leaped forwards to engage Shino. I looked back down to Choji. He was almost healed now.

**Mystical Palm Technique has increased in level by one!**

Oh, I haven't seen one of those in a while. I moved my worry about Rinka to the back of my mind. She could calm down inside that dome, and Kiba wouldn't hurt her. He may be a dog, but he's not an animal.

* * *

By the time I had moved on to Shikamaru and determined that he at least didn't have a concussion, the match was pretty much over. Ami-chan looked like she was about to fall over against Shino, but when Aya appeared to help her out, he surrendered immediately. Now all they had to do was wait for Rinka to release her jutsu, which happened after a few minutes.

Rinka of course couldn't come close to matching Kiba one-on-one, so she was most certainly out. But Kiba was smart enough to realise that he couldn't beat Aya and Ami-chan by himself, and he surrendered as well, giving Aya and her team the win.

Thankfully, I wouldn't have to heal much. All of the eliminations in that match had been from people surrendering against a superior opponent, and all the wounds inflicted were superficial. Distantly, I heard Kakashi-sensei mention a recess that would last at least as long as it would take for me to heal everyone, so I took that as my que to completely block out the world and focus solely on healing.

* * *

Once Shikamaru and Ino were fully healed, Ami-chan was next. She'd taken a few scratches from Kiba, and had a bruise or two. I stopped focusing so intently on healing, as her wounds weren't nearly as major as the ones Team 10 had taken. "Good match," I quietly praised, smiling at her.

Her head swivelled around to face me, armed with a grin and a twinkle in her eye as she responded just as quietly, saying, "Same to you, Sakura-chan. But did you even see me against Shino? That was embarrassing."

"I only caught the tail end. Was a little focused on Choji's burn wounds at the time."

"Aww, but wounds'll heal. You missed a vital bit of information, not taking notes on my fighting style."

"Honey, from the amount of times we've sparred, I could probably fight using your style myself."

She smirked, conceding the point before returning the favour. "True, but I know how you fight too. And I know about your Earth techniques~!"

I playfully scowled. "Dammit, I forgot I showed you… Well, doesn't matter. We're gonna win." I grinned at her, before cutting off my jutsu and tapping her on the back. "You're all healed. Get Hinata for me, would you?"

* * *

Hinata, Aya and Kiba's healing took around the same amount of time that Ami-chan's did, although the conversations I had with them weren't really as pleasant. In fact, they were pretty much non-existent. Hinata's too shy, Kiba's too loud, and even though Aya and I are on better terms, she just isn't the social type.

Rinka though…

"Hey." I said, taking a seat next to the Senju once all the healing was finished. "I saw some of your fight. Are you sure you're ready for this kind of stuff? Are you sure you wanna be a part of it?"

She took a while to respond. "…Yeah. I'm sure, it's just- I hate the noise. It… brings back unpleasant memories. If… If I could fight without having to hear any of it, then I'd be fine… But that's impossible. I guess I'm just not cut out for this."

"I don't know about that. I'm sure there are plenty of ways of blocking out the noise. At the same time, though, it's probably a pretty bad idea to get rid of one of your major senses in battles like this."

"Yeah."

I could tell I wouldn't get much else out of her. I patted her on the shoulder, standing up and leaving.

* * *

After about ten minutes, we moved on to our fight with Aya's team. I took a quick glance at Rinka, checking to see if she was okay, and I didn't see any of the panic or fear from before. Instead, I could only see her glaring at Sasuke-kun. I guess he had pissed her off after I left.

Whatever had happened, it looked like she was ready to fight, which was an improvement. Nodding to myself, I looked at Aya and Ami-chan, seeing Aya's typical emotionless gaze, and a grin on Ami-chan's face. I cracked my knuckles in anticipation.

**No One's Little Baby Bear  
LV 9  
Kokuma Ami**

**Lone Wolf  
LV 15  
Namiki Aya**

**The Priestess of Nature  
LV 10  
Senju Rinka**

Idly, I wondered if Team 10 had woken up yet.

* * *

As the match began, Ami-chan charged at us, everyone else choosing to retreat. After a moment, Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun created their clones, the two chakra constructs moving into engage Ami-chan. While she dealt with them, the three of us landed on a large tree branch. After a moment, I spoke.

"So, what's the plan, Sasuke-kun?" I asked.

"Take them down one at a time. Don't fight Aya alone. She could probably beat any one of us." I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, incredibly surprised.

"Admitting that you're weaker than someone? Is this the real Sasuke-kun?"

He grunted, turning away in embarrassment. "A large part of being a shinobi is knowing what battles you can and can't win. It just took me a while to learn that."

"Yeah, but you can win any fight as long as you don't give up!"

"Sure you can, Naruto."

I giggled at the two of them, before creating a Magic Bullet in each hand, splitting them how I had earlier when I had been experimenting. "Alright then boys. Let's win this."

"Yeah!"

"Hn."

I fired the sixteen smaller Bullets at Ami-chan, right as she took out Naruto-kun's clone with a heavy swing. She wasn't able to react fast enough to dodge, taking direct hits. Unlike before, when the bullets would impact the skin and disappear, they pierced right through her. I'd anticipated that, aiming for non-vital miscellaneous spots, but it still made me wince as I saw the cubic holes appear.

Sasuke-kun didn't have the same hesitation, however. Before she'd even finished recoiling from the shock of my attack, his foot was firmly planted in her chest, sending her flying upwards. He flew through three quick handseals, ending on the Tiger seal, and bringing his hand up to his mouth.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire!" He shouted, many small fireballs escaping from his mouth and flying towards Ami-chan. Thankfully though, she Substituted in time to avoid them. It would've been unpleasant had those hit her.

I joined Sasuke-kun on the ground, as Naruto-kun created a squad of clones before sending them away, presumably to do some scouting or something similar. The three of us grouped up, looking around for anyone.

At the sudden shout of "Jump!" though, I immediately did just that, along with my teammates. I was glad I did, as I saw an exploding tag attached to a kunai appear where our feet were, and a second later, explode.

"They're to our left," Naruto mentioned, so as we touched down, I immediately turned in that direction.

"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!" I exclaimed, creating the wall to block their vision. Turning back to the boys, I simply said, "Cover for me," using Double Suicide Decapitation to immediately slip underground.

Y'know, I'd always thought that it'd be more interesting under here. But all it is is dark. Of course, there was earth all around me, which is exactly why I had used the technique. I let my chakra bleed out into the direction Aya's team was, and at the limit I could extend it while reaching the surface and retaining control, I used Earth Flow Spears.

That was all I could really do for now. I had no sensory ability, so I couldn't really sense where they were. After a few seconds, I returned to the surface. Both Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun had disappeared, but as I peeked out from behind the wall, I could see that my spears had helped.

Ami-chan was out already. Disappointing, I wanted to fight one-on-one with her. It was just… special, y'know? Rinka didn't look like she was going to be help any time soon, and the boys had Aya on the ropes. Looked like she'd taken a hit to the thigh from one of the spears.

I took my chance to loop around, shooting the smaller Bullets at her from her blindspot. Blindsided, she had the choice of taking hits from Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun, or the Bullets. She chose my techniques, leaping gracefully backwards through them, so she only received glancing hits from many of them.

And not only that, but now she was right up in my face. I blocked her opening strike, but I could already tell that she was the better taijutsu fighter. Not one to give up though, I retreated, covering myself with more Bullets. She didn't try to follow me this time, instead only trying to defend herself.

Taking the chance, I took in a deep breath, before exhaling a Flamethrower at her. Aya flipped back from the stream of fire, right into Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun. Before they could do anything though, she flipped over the two of them, landing a few metres away.

"This isn't worth it." She simply stated, turning and walking away. After a moment, I took that as a surrender. I relaxed, going over to Rinka.

"Hey. It's over now, I think." I said simply, squatting down next to her.

"…It is? G-Good," She stated, visibly shaken.

I patted her on the shoulder, picking up Ami-chan and placing her on my shoulder. "Come on." And I should really talk to Kakashi-sensei about Rinka. There's no way she should be anywhere near ninja work with the clear problems she has.

* * *


	23. Xenologue 2

**A Life of its Own, Prologue**

**This Game of Life,** **Xenologue 2**

* * *

"That took less time than I expected." Kakashi stated simply, eyes trained on the words of his beautiful book.

With an acidic tone, Kurenai spat "You haven't even been watching for half the time. You've just been reading that smut."

"Well, of course. It was obvious who was going to win. My team winning against Asuma's was unexpected. They were meant to learn that having the most brute force doesn't always mean their victory is assured, but… Sakura somehow negated the Mind Body Switch. With that, then it was obvious who would win once you even glanced at the other match."

"Without his Sharingan, Sasuke's only the second most powerful genin here in raw skill. Aya takes the top spot, and Ami is a good match for Naruto right now. But Rinka's breakdowns meant they were down a member, and they wouldn't be able to compete."

"And Team 8, while they have good teamwork, don't have the strength to bring them down. They win in a battle of attrition, but my team has Naruto, who can outlast almost anybody. And even regardless, they would've been defeated long before they drained my team so they could no longer fight."

"Taking that all into account, once Team 10 lost, it was all over. Call it bad luck on their part, but they chose the wrong person to try and take over. That cost them, and by extension, everyone else." Kakashi finished, flipping over to the next page.

"Wait, Sasuke's unlocked his Sharingan? I've never even seen him use it."

"I told him not to. Didn't want to deal with accidentally stealing clan techniques and such, and this way, he's learning not to rely on it. If he gets used to fighting without it, he'll only use it when he needs it, and he'll be the better ninja for it."

"I see…" Kurenai stated, falling silent again, while Asuma lit another cigarette, the smell of tobacco wafting through the Nara compound. Yoshino was nowhere to be seen, having gone in to prepare lunch as soon as the final match had concluded.

"Well." Kakashi said, closing his book with a firm clap. "We have some more time, so I'm going to set up another little thing I was thinking of." With that, he walked towards all of the rookies, leaving Asuma and Kurenai.

After a moment of silence, one of the two decided to speak. "Don't smoke in front of the kids," Kurenai quietly chided.

"They're adults now. They stopped being kids when they got those headbands." Asuma retorted, exhaling a puff of smoke.

"Easily impressionable adults, maybe."

"Okay, okay, fine. This'll be the last one."

"It better be."

* * *

"Sakura, is everyone healed?"

"As much as I can heal them, sensei."

"Good." Clapping his hands together to get the attention of the rookies, Kakashi loudly stated, "Alright then. Sakura, Shino, Shikamaru, come here and stand to my right. Naruto, Ami, Kiba, stand to my left. Sasuke, Hinata, and Rinka, stand in front of me, and Aya, Choji, and Ino, stand next to Sasuke's group."

Waiting for all of the rookies to follow his instructions, Kakashi took a step back, seeing the four groups form. "We're doing another exercise. Each of these four groups is a team, however you aren't going to be fighting each other traditionally. Instead, there are going to be challenges for you to undertake. One of speed, one of strength, and one of control."

Taking a look at all the arrayed genin looking at him, Kakashi's eyes hardened. "The speed challenge is first. You have a minute to choose who in your team will be taking this challenge. Go." Each of the genin reacted in surprise, before quickly going to confer amongst themselves.

True to his words, after a minute had passed, Kakashi halted each group's conversations with a clear "Stop! Whoever's doing the speed challenge, step forward." Instantly, Aya, Sasuke, Sakura and Kiba stepped up.

"Great." Kakashi smiled.

* * *

Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke, Aya and Kiba stood at the edge of the Nara compound, facing the main building where the clan themselves lived.

"The speed challenge is simply a race. Get to the house before the others do. Weapons and jutsu are all allowed." Kakashi paused, gauging the four genin's reactions to the final statement, but only Kiba seemed at all caught off guard, the other three simply preparing to take off.

"Ready," Sasuke's body dipped, lowering his centre of gravity, as Aya did the same. Sakura's feet dug into the ground from the sprint starting position she had assumed, and Kiba refocused on the race about to happen. "Go."

Barely after the first sound of the word had left his mouth, Sakura shot forward like a bullet, flying towards the clan's building at an incredible speed for a genin. _She has an amazing first step,_ Kakashi thought to himself. _Her speed during it is actually higher than her regular top speed. That kind of explosive power would mean she'd be devastating with any leg-based taijutsu, even if her bones probably wouldn't be able to take the impact of her own attacks._

 _Although, training with Gai would probably fix that, but considering he's already refused to train her once before, I doubt much will have changed. His focus'd be on his mini-me anyway._ Sasuke and Aya reacted just as quickly, albeit with not nearly as much speed. Still, the two of them sped off after Sakura, and all three of them left Kiba in the dust.

"Hey, wait! Four Legs Technique!" Kiba shouted, running after them. His movements quickly became more animalistic and feral, moving swiftly and easily into four legged strides rather than two legged ones.

_Kiba's the fastest out of them, although Aya and Sasuke aren't that far behind. Sakura'll only win if they let her keep getting first steps off of things. If they can stop her from doing that, she's pretty much fighting for second place at the most._

Kakashi quietly watched, as a brace of kunai arced their way towards Sakura as she took a bounding leap forward. With a painful looking contortion of her body, she twisted past the weapons sent flying by Aya, and straight into the path of KIba's whirling Passing Fang, smashing into her arms and sending her flying.

Sasuke blew past all three of them however, and after a moment of recovery for them all, they chased after him, all determined to win.

Kakashi nodded to himself, impressed. _They're all abnormally talented for rookie genin. Even Ami is impressive, and she's both the weakest and the one without a jonin sensei. And it's not just to do with heritage. After all, Sakura's one of the ones leading the pack._

_I can't wait until the Chunin Exams._

* * *

I panted, out of breath. I just barely made it. It being not coming dead last. I beat out Kiba by like, two seconds or something ridiculous like that. Aya and Sasuke-kun weren't far ahead though. I'm pretty sure they tied, but I'm way too tired to care right now.

I flopped onto the ground, staring at the sky. Distantly, I heard Kakashi-sensei calling the start of the strength competition. I struggled, pushing myself up to watch, before losing my energy and falling back down to the ground. The amount of Lunges I had done plus the fights and healing before had taken it all out of me. I'm done for the day.

* * *

Naruto looked around at the people he was up against. Choji looked like he'd be hard to beat, but Rinka-chan and Shino probably weren't all that strong. Even still, he hoped that everyone would do well. As long as he won in the end, though. Kakashi-sensei started explaining the rules, but Naruto quickly tuned him out.

"Blah blah blah… All we're doing is smashing some bricks." He said to himself, ignoring everything else. He knew what he had to do, so he'd do it. It's not like he'd ever cheat, so what was the point of knowing the rules anyway.

When the match started, then, he was immediately caught off guard when two huge arms picked up a massive boulder and threw it at him, Rinka and Shino, scattering them, leaving Choji to start breaking his pile of bricks. _Maybe I should've listened,_ Naruto thought to himself.

Unsurprisingly, Choji won the strength contest. What was surprising was that Rinka came in second, and Shino in third. Naruto came in last, in something he had expected to dominate in. It put some things in perspective for the boy.

* * *

The final four stood, waiting for their control challenge. "You all know how to climb trees, right?" Kakashi asked. Receiving four nods, he nodded himself, before pointing to the pond in the clearing. "The first of you to figure out how to walk on that wins. Go."

The genin all scrambled to the pond, Ami reaching it first and falling straight in when she placed her foot upon the water and tried to walk. Hinata and Shikamaru slowed as they approached, leaving Ino to try and attempt the water walking, failing in a similar manner to Ami.

_Since I worded it so vaguely, Shikamaru and Hinata are wondering if there's a trick to this, if there's something they need to figure out. That means Ino and Ami will probably win. They didn't even think about it. They made a link between it and tree climbing, and that's all that's necessary. If they take too long to get it down though, Hinata'll probably snatch the victory right out from under them._

Even as he thought that, Ino shakily stood atop the water's surface for a moment, before whatever focus she had disappeared in her excitement, and she fell into the water. Seeing this invigorated Hinata, and she joined Ami and Ino in trying to adapt the principles of tree climbing to fit the rolling water of the pond.

Shikamaru however, did something unexpected. His hands slowly went through a sequence that Kakashi recognised as the Shadow Sewing Technique, and his shadow darkened to a deep black, becoming a circle on the ground below him.

Tendrils of shadow sluggishly moved from this circle, showing Shikamaru's inexperience with this technique, forming another circle atop the surface of the water. Shikamaru calmly stepped atop it, and looked back at Kakashi. "Is this good enough for you?" He lazily drawled.

Kakashi was caught off guard. He had known the Shadow Sewing technique turned the user's shadow solid, but he hadn't ever heard of it being used in this way. But he shrugged. _My fault for being vague. He's done what I asked._ "That's game. Shikamaru wins."

Shikamaru sighed to himself. "So, can I have a nap now?"


	24. Confusion

**A Life of its Own, Prologue**

**This Game of Life,** **Chapter 21**

**Confusion**

* * *

The now customary afternoon lunch after group training was noticeably less lively than usual. Everyone seemed to be worn out, even Naruto. Perhaps it was just me, though. Having said that, the tiredness I felt was odd, considering both my HP and MP were at their maximum at the time. Perhaps there was a hidden stat that governed tiredness that was unrelated to both. Perhaps it had been building up since I didn't sleep anymore, or maybe I just worked that hard today.

Either way, hidden stat or no, this tiredness was seemingly out of my control. As soon as I stumbled back home, I collapsed into my bed and fell asleep, for the first time in a long time.

* * *

I awoke feeling refreshed and ready to go. It's just as well then that there was no training today, seeing as it was both a Sunday and we had been training hard yesterday. Given that I had nothing better to do however, I thought about hanging out with Rinka or Ami-chan. After a moment's thought, I settled on going to see Ami-chan. Knowing her, she'd be out training.

* * *

Surprisingly though, I was wrong about that. Having checked the training grounds she and I commonly frequented, she wasn't currently training. Briefly, I thought that she had perhaps gone to a different training ground to practice in unfamiliar terrain, but I didn't think that was the case. As harsh as it sounded, she still had catching up to do even on favourable terrain. It'd be a waste to practice on something else considering.

Shrugging to myself, I turned around to enact Plan B, heading straight for the Senju District. To be honest, I should've gone for Rinka first considering how she was in the fights yesterday. She might still not be entirely alright. I'm not exactly sure why I thought going to see Ami-chan would be more important than that.

I mean, she's like my best friend, and I haven't known RInka nearly as long, but still. I should be worrying more about her, right? I mean, Rinka's cool and all, and yeah, she wasn't feeling great yesterday, but Ami-chan is different.

…Wait, what? I was so confused about where my thoughts had just gone that I came to a stop for second in the street, before realising that I was blocking other people, and quickly leaping up to a rooftop.

As I resumed the journey to the Senju District atop the roofs of the village, I thought about what had just happened. Had my ability rerouted my thoughts for some reason? Calling up my status window, I quickly checked to see if there were any active statuses on me, but the only ones visible were Gamer's Mind and Gamer's Body.

 _And had there even been one,_ I thought to myself, _Gamer's Mind would've rendered any mental effects on me from it ineffective._

Which meant that weird jump in logic had been all me. While that relieved me in a sense, it also made me even more confused. What was it about Ami-chan that was making me value her above someone that I'm almost as close to that clearly isn't in the best of places?

I would've thought on the matter some more, but I realised that there was no more time for me to. I'd arrived at Rinka's house.

* * *

As I stepped in, I wasn't completely surprised to see that Aya was already there. I'd forgotten somewhat that the two of them had really hit it off. Good thing too. At least someone had been here to keep her company.

"Sakura-san." Aya quietly greeted me. "You're here to see Rinka?"

"Yeah. Is she doing okay? Feeling better than she was yesterday, at least?"

At that, Aya looked away from me, a frown on her face. "Somewhat, I suppose. Come. Kokuma-san is with her right now." She turned around, moving up the stairs. I blinked, before stepping forward, slipping off my footwear and following. At least that explained where Ami-chan was. A slight pang of jealousy overcame me for a second, but I ignored it.

Aya and I stepped into Rinka's room, where she was still in bed, Ami-chan sitting crosslegged beside her. Visually, she looked fine, but that didn't really mean much. "Sakura," she chirped. "You came to see me?"

"Yeah. I was wondering how you were doing. You didn't seem to be doing all that great during the fighting yesterday. I was worried."

"Oh, yeah. Don't worry about that though. I'm fine now!" She said happily.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I just wasn't expecting it to be so… loud. I'll be better next time, though." Both Ami-chan and Aya had looks of scepticism on their faces, and judging from Rinka's face dropping, I probably had one on as well.

"Fine." She conceded. "I'm not okay. It brought back bad memories, and I'm not sure how to deal with them. And the _noise_ – I don't get how you guys can deal with it. It's horrendous!"

"We're used to it, I guess," Ami-chan stated. "To be honest, I don't even notice that much noise. I'm too focused on winning the fight."

"Same here." I chimed in. "And all the sounds I do hear are normally vital in a fight. The sound of a fire jutsu coming at you can save your life."

Rinka seemed to curl up in her bed, pulling the covers closer to her. "I… I just don't understand." I opened my mouth to respond again but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"I'll get it." Aya stated quietly, before slipping away from the room back downstairs. I heard the door open, before it almost instantly slammed shut again, with Aya coming back up the stairs with a grimace on her face. I heard it open and close one last time, before the last person I would ever have expected to be here came into the room.

"Sasuke?" Rinka reacted with surprise, before her expression morphed into a mixture of anger, irritation, and embarrassment. "What are you doing here?"

Not one to beat around the bush, Sasuke-kun simply said "If how you were yesterday is how you're intending to act in every fight, then I would probably start looking for a different profession."

Rinka grit her teeth in anger. "Fuck you, Uchiha. I'll do whatever I want with my life, no matter what you say!"

Unnoticed to everyone but me, the ghost of a smile flitted across Sasuke-kun's face as he heard Rinka's defiant response. "Then you might want to try these next time. They'll block out the sound if the music is loud enough." He said, throwing what seemed to be one of those portable music players with some headphones. Expensive ones, too, especially considering how rare those things were.

"See you later, Senju." Sasuke-kun turned on his heel and left the room, Rinka's mouth agape in surprise and confusion at his actions.

A rosy blush coloured her face, as she looked down at her bedsheets, quietly saying, "Thank you." A few seconds after the words left her mouth, Sasuke-kun opened the door, leaving the house.

"That was… odd." Ami-chan stated, looking at the spot where Sasuke-kun had just been.

"You're telling me." Even as I said the words, a smile rose to my face unbidden. That one tiny interaction had just shown how much Sasuke-kun had changed from how he was just a few months ago.

* * *

The four of us chatted the morning away, as I kept my strange logic earlier on in the back of my mind, even as I laughed and joked with Ami-chan, all the while with Rinka looking at the music player and holding it with a certain tenderness that I hadn't seen from her before.

"Hey, Sakura-chan. I need to talk to you about something." Ami-chan said, as we left Rinka's house, the girl seemingly feeling much better after our company and Sasuke-kun's gift.

"Sure." I said. "What's up?"

"Well, can we head somewhere else first? It's kinda private."

"Um, yeah. Of course!" My heart started beating a little bit faster.

* * *

We jumped up to the rooftops of the village, before deciding the best place for the talk was the top of the Hokage Monument, since we'd be able to tell if anyone came to talk to us. Plus, it was a pretty great view.

"So, what's the issue?" I said, my pulse going a million miles a minute.

"Well, there are two things. They're both super important. I need your advice on both."

"Sure, I'll help in any way I can." My heart felt just about ready to burst.

"Okay. Well, the first thing needs a bit of explanation." She looked slightly nervous for a second, before breathing out and calming herself down. "Okay. So, you know my clan is the Kokuma, right?"

"Yeah, of course." I said, wondering where she was going with this. "The Kokuma, or the Bear Cub clan, right?"

She looked nervous once again. "Yeah. About that. That's not… really what our clan name means. It really means Black Devil, after the demon our clan's ancestor sold his soul to to gain the power to compete against the other clans during the Warring States Era."

I blinked. "What!?"

"Um. Yeah. Ever since then, we've had a bloodline limit of sorts. It's pretty sporadic in showing up, but… it essentially allows the user to turn into a demon. Nothing on the level of something like the tailed beasts, or something ridiculous like that, but… yeah. It's not your typical Sharingan."

"But the thing is, well. Using it corrupts the person, permanently transforming part of their body into the demon they're transforming into. No one in my clan uses the bloodline anymore because of it. They didn't want us to be known as a clan of demons."

"But I have the potential to transform. And I'm tired of being so far behind everyone else in these training sessions. I need a real edge, and this could be it. So what I wanted to ask you is, should I do it? Should I try and make a contract with the demon that contracted with my clan's ancestor?"

I blinked once again as I processed everything she had just said to me. My answer didn't require even a second of thought, however. "Of course. We use every advantage we get. That's rule number one, isn't it?" I asked, smiling.

She sighed in relief, smiling herself. "Then on to the second thing."

"There's this guy." My heart dropped. "Someone I really like, who I think likes me as well. Do you think I should tell him just how much I like him? And do you think he won't care about whatever… demon thing I'll get?"

"Um…" I felt crushed, for some unexplained reason. Even still, I pushed on to answer her question. "Yeah, you should. Just get it out there. If he isn't interested now, he probably won't be later. And if he does care about the demon thing, he isn't worth your time anyway. That should be the least of his worries."

"Okay." She said, smiling. "Sakura-chan."

"Yes?"

"I have a crush on you."

My broken heart mended itself.


	25. Acceptance

**A Life of its Own, Prologue**

**This Game of Life,** **Chapter 22**

**Acceptance**

Caught off guard by the sudden revelation, it was all I could do to simply say "Oh," in response to Ami-chan. However, despite my surprise, I was also feeling strangely happy about it. I smiled without thinking, but didn't say anything else.

Ami-chan didn't say anything either. She just walked over to me, smiling as well. Tentatively, she grasped my hand, entwining her fingers with mine as she looked into my eyes.

* * *

We spent a couple of hours up on the mountain, enjoying each other's company, as we watched the sun set.

* * *

I didn't go to sleep that night. I couldn't, not when I felt guilty for not training during the day. But it was hard for me to even focus on my training. It was all I could do to keep my thoughts from Ami-chan and how excited I was about our new relationship.

So it was no surprise that in an entire night, I only managed to gain a single point of VIT, something I should've been able to do in a couple of hours, had I really been focusing on it. Speaking of, though, I was at a slight impasse. I'd been putting almost all my focus into my skills, whether it being learning them, mastering them, or modifying them into new ones, so much so that my actual stats were pretty damn lacklustre.

**Name: Haruno Sakura** **  
** **Class: The Gamer** **  
** **Level: LV 12** **  
** **HP: 180/180** **  
** **MP: 96/96** **  
** **STR: 15** **  
** **VIT: 15** **  
** **DEX: 15** **  
** **INT: 58** **  
** **WIS: 33** **  
** **LUK: 10** **  
** **Points: 0**

I mean, my INT was really good, but my base INT had been too. My WIS was good enough, but my physical stats had barely improved in comparison. I decided that I would need to get them up to par sooner rather than later.

But that's beside the point. Once I noticed the time, I quickly washed up and got changed, ready for a day of training, or some sort of mission. In half an hour, I was ready, and went out to my team's regular meeting spot.

* * *

Of course, Kakashi-sensei wasn't there when I got there, but Sasuke-kun was. "Hey, Sasuke-kun." I greeted as I approached.

He turned to look at me, a slight smirk on his face. "Sakura."

"So… what was that thing with you and Rinka yesterday about?" I asked him, grinning.

He immediately turned away, embarrassed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Uh huh. Well, it was nice of you. Those things are expensive."

"…Mm. It's not like I'm hurting for money. I just thought it might help her out."

My grin got even wider. "Such a gentleman, helping out the heir to the clan yours feuded against."

He got even more embarrassed, crossing his arms and getting in a huff. "Leave me alone, Sakura."

"Will do. Wouldn't want to intrude on you and Rinka anyway." I ducked under the swipe to my head, and leapt backwards, laughing all the way. The anger in Sasuke-kun's eyes burned for a moment, before fading, and a full, actual smile appeared on his face. I smiled back, and the two of us shared a laugh, just as Naruto-kun arrived.

The look of horror on his face just made us laugh harder.

* * *

Once we had calmed Naruto-kun down and assured him that no, Sasuke-kun hadn't been possessed or replaced by an enemy ninja, and Kakashi-sensei arrived, we all went to the mission office. Kakashi-sensei began discussing the available missions with Iruka-sensei, as per usual. However, as they seemed to decide on a mission, the secretary from outside Hokage-sama's office came into the room.

"Hatake Kakashi, the Hokage requests you and your team's prescence."

"Is that so?" He replied. "Well, never mind then, Iruka. It looks like Hokage-sama has something in mind for us." With that, he turned and strode out of the room, the three of us following.

* * *

"I'm rather touched that you have this much faith in my team, but… Don't you think this is a bit high-ranked for my team, Hokage-sama?"

"It is a borderline A-rank, yes, but most of that comes from who you're guarding. It's not every day that the Swamp Daimyo comes to visit, after all. Besides, you aren't taking him all the way back to the Land of Swamps, only halfway."

"But still," Kakashi-sensei continued. "it's a tad much for a genin team."

"We don't have anyone else that can do this, Kakashi. I would have sent a special jonin, but the only one in the village available is Anko, and according to Ibiki, the TI Department is behind due to dropping everything to process Senju Rinka-san. Your team and Gai's team are the only ones I feel are ready for this, and considering how well you handled the mission to Wave, despite all of the… issues, I feel that you're more than ready for this."

"And besides. No ninja in their right mind would attack a Daimyo's caravan unless they were completely desperate. You should only have bandits to worry about, something your genin should be able to handle easily."

The underlying message was clear. Hokage-sama couldn't send a special jonin, so he'd just send a jonin instead, using their genin team to justify them being sent on a B-rank. I didn't really like the fact that because of that, this wasn't really _our_ mission, but I certainly wasn't going to complain.

Kakashi-sensei was silent for a moment, before he gave in, acquiescing. "Alright. We accept the mission."

"Good." Hokage-sama said from behind his pipe. "Chichiatsu-dono is in the capital, currently under the Fire Daimyo's hospitality. You should arrive to take him to the halfway-checkpoint by tomorrow."

"Understood."

* * *

"Alright. Prepare for a mission that'll take about as long as our trip to Wave. Don't worry about food, or camping gear. We'll be travelling the Swamp Daimyo's caravan, so meals and such will be handled for us. Just bring your weapons and any jutsu scrolls you might be working on."

Kakashi-sensei looked each of us in the eye, before nodding. "Meet at the village gates in three hours." With that, he disappeared, using the Body Flicker technique. Man, I want to learn that… maybe I should see if the library has a copy of the scroll I can 'borrow'. It's not like it's a rare technique. It'd be good if I could use this trip to practice it a bit.

Sasuke-kun, Naruto-kun and I split up, the two of them going back home to pack, while I started making tracks to the jutsu library. Considering we wouldn't need camping gear, and I already had a good supply of weapons on me considering I barely use them, the only thing I'd need to pack would be clothes anyways.

* * *

Greeting the receptionist as I walked in, I made a beeline for the D-rank scrolls, my eyes scanning through them alphabetically. I found it quickly, taking it to the receptionist to check out.

"Do you have permission from your sensei to take that out?" she asked me, a serious look on her face.

"Uh…" I said, suddenly nervous. "Not as such, no…"

She chuckled. "Don't worry, it's only a D-rank. You can take those out yourself. Just be careful with this one, okay? Don't be the next genin so excited about learning the Body Flicker they crack their head open on a tree."

"I'll be careful."

"Good. Take care."

"You too!"

I leapt up to the rooftop of the library, taking out the scroll.

**Would you like to learn the skill 'Body Flicker Technique'? Y/N**

I felt ever so slightly guilty that I was going to destroy this scroll, but considering how common and how in-demand this jutsu was, they should have tons of copies anyway. Unhesitatingly, I tapped yes, watching the scroll shatter into figments of blue light as I had so many times before.

**Body Flicker Technique (Active) LV1 EXP: 0.00%  
Using their internal energies, the user temporarily vitalises the body and moves at extreme speeds. By using the Body Flicker Technique, one can move short to long distances at an almost untraceable speed.  
Uses MP to move a short distance. MP used depends on user's INT, skill mastery, and distance from end point.**

I quickly read the skill's description, before dismissing the box, and turning to face the direction of my house. Looking at a building across the street, I visualised where I wanted to go, and activated the skill.

The scenery around me seemed to distort, and it felt more like I was still, forcing the world to move around me than it did me actually moving to my destination. The sensation lasted for an infinitesimally small amount of time, yet it felt much longer. And suddenly, I was on another rooftop.

I smiled. I like this skill.

* * *

Using the Body Flicker to make my way home, I quickly packed and said goodbye to my parents, before heading out again. It had taken a bit longer than I expected to pack, truth be told, so I really only had time to walk to the gates via the scenic route. I didn't want to risk it, though, so I simply Flickered my way there, running into Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun there.

"Hey boys," I greeted. "Any sign of Kakashi-sensei?"

"None yet." Sasuke-kun replied quickly. "Were you actually expecting him to be on time for once?"

"Oh, Sasuke. You wound me!" said Kakashi-sensei, as he appeared from nowhere, hands on the boys' heads. Both of them jumped at his sudden appearance. I was able to stop myself due to Gamer's Mind.

"So…" He started, his eye closing. "Are we all ready to go?"

* * *

Nowhere I had ever been even compared to our home village. Wave had at least been somewhat comparable in size, the incredible amount of poverty and squalor had reduced it to a shadow of its former self, and that little hamlet where we had found Rinka was basically the equivalent of one of the Leaf's larger neighbourhoods.

But compared to the capital of the Land of Fire, the Leaf was that tiny hamlet. I had always been dimly aware in the back of my mind that the capital would be even more amazing than my home, but it never really clicked until now.

It made sense when you thought about it. Ninja villages are huge hubs for a country, and fittingly massive compared to other settlements. But considering that _ninja_ lived in them? The types of civilians who lived in those villages would have to be as insane as the ninja who were their main population. After all, many of them were there purely because their family had ninja in them.

Most civilians wouldn't want to be anywhere near a ninja village. Sure, the constant protection was a big bonus, and the cheap labour that was D-rank missions was a plus too. But there would be constant fear of infiltration, invasion, battles, war. It's not as if people in other places were exempt from those, but both the frequency and severity of them were lessened when there wasn't ninja about.

No, they would much rather be in settlements only filled with _their_ kind, with no thieving, warmongering ninja around to mess things up. This is where the big businessmen, the nobles, wise men, and the samurai flocked to, and it damn well showed.

It was absolutely massive. From the moment that it came into view, we couldn't even see how wide it was, our vision stopping where the walls continued. There were towering buildings, taller and wider than even the Hokage Tower, and not just a few.

Beautiful parks with rolling fields and crystalline lakes dotted the city. And the sheer amount of people walking everywhere only served to further show how mind-bogglingly massive this place truly was.

And to top it all off, in the centre of the city lay its crowning jewel. A massive palace, emblazoned with the same kanji that was on Hokage-sama's hat and robes. The symbol of fire.

Kakashi-sensei laughed as we walked into the city, eyes wide and taking in every detail. "It's a sight to behold, isn't it?" He walked in front of us, causing us to refocus. I became distinctly aware of the glances being thrown our way from every direction. Our clothes set us apart from the common civilian, and more than that, our headbands truly marked us as something _other_.

Curious people tried to catch glimpses, some more subtle than others, and I wasn't sure if it was just due to us being not of the norm, or if it were something else.

"This is overwhelming as well. The feeling that everyone has their eyes on you. It takes some getting used to."

"Why didn't we get this reaction in Wave, or in that other village?" Sasuke-kun quietly asked.

"In Wave, people were much too preoccupied with their own survival to spare some strangers a glance. It likely would've happened in that village, though. At least, had we not stuck to the shadows there, for the most part."

Satisfied with that explanation, Sasuke-kun nodded, and tried not to squirm under the steadily increasing number of eyes on us.

"We're to meet Chichiatsu-dono at the Palace of Fire. Let's go." Kakashi-sensei walked forwards, heading straight for the large palace in the centre of the city. After a moment, I strode after him as confidently as I could, with the boys at my sides.

* * *

As we approached the palace gates, two samurai looking men crossed their naginata in front of it, crying, "Halt! What business do you-" They suddenly stopped as they got a good look at us, before smiling and clearing the path. "Ah, Kakashi-dono! Honda-sama has been expecting you."

"Mm, has he? It's been quite a while since I heard that. You obviously know why we're here then. May we pass?"

"Of course."

With that, Kakashi-sensei stepped past, leading us into the palace proper. We were greeted by a handmaiden, who quickly showed us a place to sit, refreshments (we refused), and told us to wait for someone to tell us when Honda-dono and Chichatsu-dono would be ready.

* * *

As we waited, I idly though about what the two would be like. I knew from the academy that the Fire Daimyo was an older, kind man, if a little conformist. But I hadn't heard anything about the Swamp Daimyo, and just as well. Swamp was so minor a country it still had yet to develop a ninja village. He was as unimportant to a ninja as a daimyo could be.

Another handmaiden, this one older and calmer, told us that the daimyo were ready to receive us, and lead us to where they were waiting. As she slid open the door, a quick glance from sensei told us all to be on our best behaviour.

* * *

We stepped into the room, and I saw the two of them, sat at the head of a table, chatting. Behind them stood a samurai each, both old enough that silver had begun to colour their hair. The Fire Daimyo was exactly as I was expecting, but also surprisingly nondescript. Slightly on the chubby side, with beady black eyes, short black hair adorned with the blue headdress that all daimyo wore, and a simple, two-tone yukata.

Considering the palace and city he lived in, I would've expected something much more extravagant. But as I looked at the second daimyo, that may simply have been down to all daimyo wearing the same thing.

Chichiatsu-dono wore the exact same clothes as Honda-dono, but that's where the similarities ended. Chichiatsu-dono had startlingly red eyes, and unruly hair of the same shade. He had a much healthier physique than his counterpart, and the most striking difference between the two was their age.

While Honda-dono looked to be at least in his late fourties, Chichiatsu-dono was barely older than me, looking to be around 15, maybe even younger. Despite that, he had a certain air about him, something that Honda-dono lacked. It intrigued me.

As these thoughts flew through my mind in an instant, the two of them turned to look at us, Honda-dono's face lighting up jovially at the sight of Kakashi-sensei, while Chichiatsu-dono sent a nervous smile to each of us three genin.

"Ah, Chichiatsu-dono, he is the one I was talking about! Kakashi-kun, please, come!" Honda-dono laughed, beckoning us towards them.

"You four are the team that are going to protect me?" He asked. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you all." He said, smiling at us again, this time lingering on each of us as he did. It felt as if he spent a touch longer smiling at me than everyone else.

"Oh yes, you're getting your money's worth with them. Kakashi-kun is my second choice for the Hokage once Hiruzen finally decides to retire, you know! And Hiruzen tells me that his trainees are a force to be reckoned with as well! Despite being rookies, they managed to fight off two much stronger ninja until Kakashi-kun arrived and drove them off, apparently." Honda-dono stated, now looking at the three of us.

"Is that so?" Chichiatsu-dono said, smiling again. "Well, I feel honoured to have such talented ninja protect me. Hopefully, your services won't even be required, but it makes me feel safer to know I have the best of the best available in an emergency."

"Apologies, Chichiatsu-sama," the samurai behind the Daimyo of Swamp coughed, "but now that your… _escorts_ have arrived, I believe it's best we be off sooner rather than later. Mitsuki is as good an aide as you could hope for, but you know as well as I do that he can't run the country for too long."

"You're quite right, Toyohisa. Very well then." Standing up, Chichiatsu-dono bowed to Honda-dono. "Thank you very much for your hospitality, Fire Daimyo-dono."

"You are welcome."

Straightening up from his bow, he turned to us, giving us a more confident, sunny smile. "I am in your hands now."


	26. Journey

**A Life of its Own, Prologue**

**This Game of Life,** **Chapter 23**

**Journey**

We followed Chichiatsu-dono out of the palace, who in turn followed the samurai, Toyohisa. Silently, we moved into formation around him, Sasuke-kun and I at his sides, with Naruto-kun and Kakashi-sensei bringing up the rear. Since Toyohisa seemed to be Chichiatsu-dono's personal bodyguard, he could go ahead and take point. He was leading us anyway.

As we moved beside him, Chichiatsu-dono smiled at both Sasuke-kun and I. So far, he seemed nice enough, or at the very least someone who smiles a lot.

Looking at Toyohisa, I briefly wondered how strong he was. He seemed experienced and skilled, but I wasn't sure if he would be able to stand up to us. After all, there was no guarantee that he could use chakra, and he couldn't be that strong if Chichiatsu-dono needed to hire ninja for protection.

**Torch-Bearer of the Marshes  
LV 27  
Mihikata Toyohisa**

Wow. I actually nodded in quiet respect, as I realised that was the same level as the girl that had dominated all three of us at once back in Wave. Of course, we were stronger than we had been then, but he was still clearly in another level compared to us. Still though, compared to Kakashi-sensei, he was utterly outclassed.

"So, um," Chichiatsu-dono began, clearing his throat. After an instant, I realised he was talking to me, and my eyes flicked over to him accordingly. "You people aren't much older than me, are you? Are all ninja around our age?"

"I think we're actually younger than you, Chichiatsu-dono," I replied smoothly. "We're only twelve. The reason we probably seem more developed than most you know that are our age is due to our high levels of chakra compared to most. It makes both our minds and bodies grow faster than people without those high chakra levels."

"I see," He replied, seeming to think for a moment. "This chakra, that's what elevates you above the common soldier, right? I've heard that it allows people to use some sort of magic. Can you all perform those magic tricks?"

"Yes, we can." I confirmed easily. "In fact, learning a few basic ones is a requirement for graduation from a student to a full ninja. It's just, it's not 'magic'. Those techniques are called jutsu."

"Ah, I see. Would it be possible to show me any? I'm very intrigued by all of this. My home country doesn't have any ninja, you see."

"That would probably be a bad idea." Kakashi-sensei interjected. "Most jutsu are purely destructive in nature, or at least geared towards use in battle. To use them in a huge city like this is almost begging for someone to get hurt."

"Ah…" Chichiatsu-dono's face fell. I could tell hearing that disappointed him greatly. But he quickly brightened. "Well, if we happen to be attacked on our journey, I'll be sure to pay close attention so I can see these 'jutsu' in action!"

"Hmph," grunted the old samurai leading us. His steps quickened slightly, trying to get us to our destination as quickly as possible.

* * *

We looked at the caravan in front of us in awe. It must've spanned 200 metres, maybe even more, made up of many lavish carriages. Chichiatsu-dono noticed our amazement, yet for some reason he smiled sheepishly, as if he was embarrassed.

"I understand that this must be much less than such decorated ninja as yourselves are used to, but I must ask that you please bear it for now. My country might be well-off for its size and relative minority, but it is nothing compared to the Land of Fire. I had to bring out my most beautiful caravan with me to even come close to comparing it with the ones here!"

As he spoke, it dawned on me that he didn't think our amazement was from seeing his caravan as one of the most extravagant displays of wealth we'd ever seen, but rather that we thought that it, as incredible as it was, was _lacking_ compared to what we were used to.

It occurred to me that he must've lived a very sheltered life, growing up mainly in his palace and castle town. It just didn't occur to him that everyone didn't have this sort of wealth – or at least, he couldn't imagine that anyone living in a country so much larger than his could have wealth that didn't at least match his.

Maybe that was the purpose of his trip here, to learn about the real status of the world and how lucky he was to have been born into the position he was in. Or maybe it had just been a diplomatic meeting. It was most likely the latter.

"You don't have to worry about us, Chichiatsu-dono. We can make do." Kakashi-sensei swooped in, saving us from responding with our tongues still tied from seeing the caravan. "As long as we have a carriage to ourselves. That should be more than sufficient."

"Oh, we have enough carriages for each of you to take your own if you wish! But I understand if you-"

"I'll take one for myself!" I quickly stated, Naruto-kun ghosting my sentence only an instant later.

"I'll take one myself as well." Sasuke-kun said confidently.

"Oh!" Surprise lit up Chichiatsu-dono's face, before he settled into an easy smile. "Well, excellent! I'll have one of the handmaidens show each of you to your carriages, then. Come with me, my ninja friends!"

* * *

Just like everyone else's, my carriage was ten metres long, and five metres wide. There were doors either side, one leading into Sasuke-kun's carriage, and one leading into one of Chichiatsu-dono's personal carriages. There was a queen-sized bed in the left corner, and a massive wardrobe opposite it.

Spanning the right wall was a massive desk, with a black, cushioned chair with wheels on it tucked in. Above it was rows of shelves, and below there were a bunch of drawers and cupboards. The walls were painted a light, pleasant pink, and many expensive looking paintings lined them, broken up by large, square windows in the centre of each wall.

Losing no time, I quickly opened my bag, taking out my clothes and hanging them up in the wardrobe, before leaping onto the bed, and almost immediately marvelling on just how damn soft it was. Sitting up, I glanced out the window. Judging from how fast the scenery was moving by, we weren't travelling as fast as we could on foot, but certainly much faster than a regular civilian's walking speed.

And besides, the slower we went, the longer I'd be able to enjoy the comfort of this caravan. I wasn't complaining at all.

* * *

After a few hours of lazing about in my carriage, I noticed we were slowing down somewhat. The sun was beginning to set, so I reasoned that we were slowing down to stop for the night. Getting up from the bed, I wandered out of my carriage, to see what everyone else was doing.

I stepped out into the walkway, intending to walk through the door into Sasuke-kun's carriage, when a whistle in the wind alerted me to something flying towards me. Without even thinking, I plucked the whirling hunter's knife from the air. Whoever had thrown it had such bad technique it likely wouldn't have hurt even if it had hit me. It also was why it made enough noise for me to notice, despite it not moving particularly fast.

Still on autopilot, I flicked it back at my assailant at full force, in the way a knife _should_ be thrown. Idly, I realised that whoever these people were, they were likely the reason we had stopped. A strangled gasp escaped into the air seconds after the knife left my fingers, and I heard a body slump to the ground.

…Y'know, with all the fuss they make about it, I kind of expected to feel a little… _more_ about my first kill.

Shrugging, I jumped off of the caravan walkway, forming a Magic Bullet in my right hand and then converting that into a sword. Bandits normally came with weapons, so that would help alleviate the problem of reach if I had to go into close combat. Another Bullet formed in my left, and to add to the inevitable confusion that was about to occur, I created three clones to go and muck about.

Quickly moving to the front of the caravan, seeing as that's where most of these attackers would inevitably be, I saw Sasuke-kun already engaged with two, both armed with katana, three more bodies lying on the ground behind him.

As he jumped back from one of their reckless swipes, I moved in, blowing the first one's head off with the Magic Bullet I already had prepared. As his friend reeled back in surprise and horror, I took the opportunity to Lunge up to him, thrusting my magical blade right through his chest cavity.

Blood spurted onto my hands and face, and I think a bit got in my hair as well. I watched as the light instantly faded from his eyes, and as I removed the Variable Blade from his body, he lost his support and fell to the ground, dead.

Looking back at Sasuke-kun, I could see he was just as bloody as I was. With a simple nod, the two of us moved, looking for any more threats.

* * *

Just as a bandit grasped the handle of a door into the caravan, I slashed his forearm off. Before he even had a chance to clutch the remnant of his arm in pain, however, Sasuke-kun was there, thrusting a kunai into his throat, splashing both of us with even more foreign blood. Behind us, Naruto-kun and his clone each finished off their opponents, knocking them out instead of killing.

The one who seemed to be their leader grimaced as he looked at us, seeing the mangled cadavers that were once his men behind us. "You freakshows! I'll kill you brats!" He said, raising his quivering sword hand.

**Evoke Fear has increased in level by 1!**

But before he could even make a move, Sasuke-kun and I both angled our heads back, before throwing them forwards explosively, a fireball rushing from each of our lips, and melding into one, encompassing bullet of flame.

The man had just enough time for his expression to morph into one of pure terror, before the giant fireball engulfed him and detonated, removing all traces of him from the world. Not even ash remained of him.

**Your level has increased by one!**

I noticed the door the bandit had grabbed earlier was open, and I turned to see Chichiatsu-dono staring at the carnage, face pale. He had seen the tail end of the fight, and had at least seen us incinerate the last man.

Not even realising that I had blood splattered on the side of my face, I smiled at him. "Did you see the jutsu, Chichiatsu-dono? What did you think?"


	27. Choice

**A Life of its Own, Prologue**

**This Game of Life,** **Chapter 24**

**Choice**

The look of shock that was on Chichiatsu-dono's face was more than enough to wake me out of my post-battle high. All at once, I remembered he was a civilian and a client, an important one at that, and the Variable Blade disappeared from my hand, the blood coating it dropping onto the ground in a scarlet pool now that there wasn't anything to hold it up. I tried to wipe my face, but my crimson covered hands only managed to make my face even more of a mess.

"What I wouldn't give for a water technique right now…" I muttered. As I did so, CHichiatsu-dono seemed to regain his composure. He steeled himself, and seemed to say something under his breath as well. Face still pale, he tried to smile, but I could tell it was mostly fake.

"The jutsu was, um… perhaps a bit more… visceral, than I was expecting, but… it certainly was very impressive." The daimyo sighed, seeming to deflate once again. "I shall… return to my quarters now. Please don't disturb me until the morning. I need the time to… rest." He turned, going back up into the caravan. "And perhaps vomit." He finished, much more quietly than the rest of what he had said.

Once he was inside, with the door shut behind him, I sighed, turning back around, looking at the carnage we had wrought. "Alright, let's get to work." I said, forming a Bullet, splitting it into eight, and shooting the smaller cubes into the heads of the bandits Naruto-kun had knocked out, killing them instantly.

"Wha- What are you _doing,_ Sakura-chan!? They were beaten!" Naruto-kun yelled at me, getting in my face.

I was unfazed. "They were bandits, Naruto-kun. If I left them alive, they'd just get up and keep doing what they were doing. Except that next time? They'd be smart enough to not fight shinobi."

"But they could've-"

"No, Naruto-kun." I said, my voice hard. "They chose this kind of life, and that choice is what brought about their deaths. They only have themselves to blame. And do you think that if they've chosen this lifestyle once, they won't do it again if they get another chance?"

"Sakura's right, Naruto." Sasuke-kun chimed in. "Some people don't deserve a second chance. You've got to learn that. Not everyone has as good a heart as you." My eyes flicked towards him after that last comment, but he looked as serious as ever. I suppose he meant it.

"But… what if they didn't have anything else? What if there was nothing else they could've done?"

"Well, then that's unfortunate, but bandits are bandits, Naruto-kun. No matter what the circumstances, what they're doing is wrong. After all, if they had us in that position, they wouldn't hesitate to kill us." Despite me saying that, I… Naruto-kun did have a point. The world wasn't as clearly cut as Sasuke-kun and I were saying it was. Perhaps… Naruto-kun was more mature than either-

"Again, good on you for taking the reins and showing some initiative, Sakura. However," Kakashi-sensei's hand landed on my shoulder, and despite his grip being just as light as usual, I couldn't feel any of the usual friendliness in it. Sensei spun me round, even as I turned to face him, and I looked him in the eye, and the glare he was giving me sent a chill down my spine, even as the Gamer's Mind started quashing my fear away. "When it comes to matters of life and death like this, you will bring the issue to me, and _**I**_ will be the one to decide our course of action. Understood?"

I gulped. "Yes, sensei. I understand-"

Instantly, the mood brightened. "Good! And Sasuke? That goes for you too." Taking Sasuke-kun's grunt as an affirmative response, Kakashi-sensei let go of my shoulder, clapping his hands together. "Well then! Let's get this cleaned up, and then head off to get some rest, shall we? I'll go make sure the inside of the carriages are secure. Later!"

With that, Sensei disappeared, undoubtedly going inside to go to sleep. Sighing to myself, I turned back to the fresh corpses, a Flamethrower licking the inside of my throat.

* * *

The next week was rather uneventful, as was the one after that. The only thing of note was Chichiatsu-dono slowly opening back up to us again and talking to us just as freely as he once had, if with a bit more wariness now. I made sure to try and put him at as much ease as possible, which he seemed to appreciate.

The third week after the attack however, we finally crossed the border into the Land of Swamps, where we would be handing protection of Chichiatsu-dono over to his own royal guard. I was actually quite sad about it. I hadn't known him for all that long, but I enjoyed his company, and considered him a friend.

* * *

"Well, my friends, it seems like this is where we must part ways." Chichiatsu-dono sighed, seemingly feeling just as down as I did. I doubt he has many friends that are our age, after all, so getting a taste of what having that kind of relationship would be like and then having it be taken away so quickly… It would be a difficult pill to swallow.

He smiled at each of us in turn, his eyes lingering on me a moment longer than the rest. "But I have thoroughly enjoyed my time journeying with you, and you have done an absolutely superb job at protecting me."

"Which is why I am sorry to say that I have one last burden to put upon you. One last request to make." Again, he looked at each of us, eyes falling on me last, and staying on me.

"The Land of Swamps has no ninja village of its own, as you all are well aware. However, knowing that I have excellent shinobi protecting me every moment is a wonderful feeling, one that feel that now that I have experienced, it would be foolish to spend even a day without it."

"To that end, my final request. It is not to all of you, but rather, the one out of you four that made me feel the most at peace, that I felt especially was always making sure that I was safe."

He closed his eyes for a second, seemingly steeling himself for whatever he was to say next. He opened them once again, looking directly at me, and as I gazed into his eyes, I truly realised for the first time that he was a _daimyo_ , and he had the strength of will and character to be a good one.

"Haruno Sakura-san. Would you become my personal shinobi guard?"

* * *

We set off again, heading to the capital of Swamps. Not seeing the village for three years… It was a long time, definitely. But this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. There wasn't any chance I couldn't accept.

Plus, what other ninja would be able to say they completed their first S-rank before they made chunin?

Naruto-kun had begged me to come with them, bless him, and Sasuke-kun didn't look happy to see me go either, but… it's not like we would never see each other again. Three years is a while, yeah, but we'd still be a team. I'd have a bit of catching up to do, sure, since knowing those two they'd be well on their way to jonin by the time that I got back.

But that just means that I have to train hard while I'm here and surprise them when I come back stronger than them.

That would be nice.

I felt a bit guilty about not saying goodbye to the girls, though, especially Ami-chan and Rinka, but again, it's only three years. I just hope Ami-chan can wait until then.

Shaking myself out of the introspection, I opened up my status window.

**Name: Haruno Sakura** **  
** **Class: The Gamer** **  
** **Level: LV 13** **  
** **HP: 180/180** **  
** **MP: 96/96** **  
** **STR: 15** **  
** **VIT: 14** **  
** **DEX: 15** **  
** **INT: 58** **  
** **WIS: 33** **  
** **LUK: 10** **  
** **Points: 5**

Looking at the requirements for the two Vermillion Bird of the South skills I hadn't learned, my mental stats at least had broken the requirements for Dawn of the Vermilion Bird, but I had to bump up my WIS up a bit if I wanted to learn the eponymous skill. My physical stats compared were severely lacking however, even if you just considered Dawn of the Vermillion Bird. I'd need just over double my current VIT to meet that requirement, and that was the lowest one. If I wanted to learn these skills any time soon, and I definitely did, I'd need to start properly training those areas.

To that end, I dumped the five points from my level into VIT, since that would be the easiest to bring up to par. Still though, there'll be a lot of work to do.

I hummed to myself, considering the best course of action in training them. Thoughtlessly dumping in the points like I just had is a mistake, now that I was thinking about it. A much more efficient way of doing things would be to train and gain stat ups that way, until it took so much to get points that there was barely any point to it. _Then_ I would put in the points from levelling to boost the stats higher, and then my focus on training would logically shift to training up my skills to higher levels and to gaining more levels myself to raise my stats.

Theoretically, while I could probably infinitely train up my stats to their maximum levels manually, that would take so much time that I'd probably die of old age doing so. Same goes for levelling up. I don't know if there is a level cap, but even if there isn't one, by the time I got to something crazy like Level 100, it'd probably take so long to level up that I might as well not be able to anymore. To fill the inevitable stagnation of my stats and close the gaps in power between me and my opponents then, skills would be incredibly important, especially my buffs. Despite the fact I had 15 STR, with my buffs all active I had been able to smash a solid rock wall apart a few weeks ago. It showed just how much more powerful they could make me if I used them right.

But there was also something else to consider. LUK. I'd dismissed it as useless, thinking that it was such a waste of effort to invest in it since you could never say if anything happened to you was a matter of luck, or a matter of circumstance. But that didn't necessarily mean that the stat couldn't be _useful._ It had been a little thoughtless of me to consider it at such. It could be incredibly useful, in fact.

But without knowledge of that, I was still wary to spend the points from levelling increasing it, but I also didn't know how one would go about 'training' their luck. I suppose maybe I could go hunting for four leaf clovers?

…As stupid as that sounded, this ability is literally a game. That might actually work.

A more intelligent-sounding possibility would be maybe playing games of chance. Maybe not gambling directly, since most forms of that included skill as well… though they were better than nothing. But perhaps doing something as simple as flipping a coin over and over and guessing what side it would land on?

It was an interesting prospect. If nothing else, there were sure to be casinos and gambling dens in the capital of Swamps. I might try my hand whenever I get some time to myself and see what happens.

Stepping off of my bed, I stretched for a moment, before walking out of my carriage, looking to see if Chichiatsu-dono was around. I should probably try to stick close to him, considering that he's now my charge for three years.

Looking around, though, the sheer amount of samurai that had come too guard us on the way to the capital was astounding. They hadn't come onto the caravan, instead they were riding beside it on horses.

It was a little unnerving when I stepped out to cross into another carriage and they all stared at me with utter disgust.

I'd better get used to that.


	28. Duty

**A Life of its Own, Prologue**

**This Game of Life,** **Chapter 25**

**Duty**

"So. This is the Land of Swamps, huh?"

As we rode into the capital, I couldn't help but stare at my surroundings. While the capital wasn't nearly as large as the one in the Land of Fire, it was equally majestic.

Some of the larger buildings, while not as large, were decorated just as extravagantly as the Fire Daimyo's own palace had been, being adorned with colourful banners, dotted with spires and painted in a combination of white, gold and purple that simply exuded a sense of nobility.

And these were just the compounds of some of the lesser nobles, as I was told by Chichiatsu-dono himself. The larger, more important nobles' domains threatened to match the Fire Daimyo's in size, and blew it out of the water in terms of decoration.

And Chichiatsu-dono's own palace dwarfed even theirs in both measures.

It was a clear message. Despite the size of both the country and the city, there was an absolutely staggering amount of wealth contained here, and seeing the city for myself helped me to truly understand just how much.

But yet, I wasn't amazed. Rather, I was disgusted.

With the larger amount of wealth seemed to come a proportional disparity of it. Of the four major cities I had been to – the Leaf, along with the capitals of Wave, Fire and the capital I was currently stood in – this was the only one where I had seen entire families living in filth while trapped between two opulent estates.

It and Wave were the only two of the four where a simple glance into the streets would give you a glimpse of poverty, no matter where you looked. But unlike Wave, where everyone had been poor due to Gato's influence, here short, rich men in the most crisp business suits I had ever seen, chatted happily with beautiful women way out of their league in elegant, flowing yukata, while they walked past the sick child begging for food without a second glance, like his existence didn't even register in their eyes.

And this wasn't a singular occurrence. In almost every street, I saw a similar situation play out. And each and every time, I felt my blood boil, and the urge to go tear those people a new one for being so callous – and then Gamer's Mind quashed it down, and I stayed put, with an ever growing pit of disgust in the bottom of my stomach.

"This is it, Sakura-kun. My palace." Chichiatsu-dono chirped cheerfully.

"Cool." I grunted, before catching myself. "I mean, it looks, um, beautiful, Chichiatsu-dono."

He glanced at me, before turning, looking back at the way we had come. "You don't like it? The wealth differential?"

I blinked. Had I been that easy to read? I suppose I hadn't been trying to hide it, but still… "No, I don't. Frankly, I think it's both disgusting and unfair."

He sighed. He looked at me again, and I almost recoiled in surprise. Had I not known better, I would've thought I was looking into an old man's eyes.

"Do you not think there's such a wealth difference back in your home? It might not be as evident as it is here, but I can tell you, it definitely exists. It's almost impossible to remove, after all. I should know. Even as Daimyo go, I've been blessed with more wealth than I could use in ten lifetimes, incredibly loyal and helpful servants and advisors, and my people love me.

"Yet even still I can't make this problem of poverty any better. I've tried everything, from artificially increasing the number of jobs available in the city, up to giving out portions of my fortune to every family living below the poverty line. Yet even still, the problem is rampant. I can't find an answer. And it pains me every time I have to admit that."

I blinked. Looking at him… Being a Daimyo isn't as easy as most people would think. At least, not if you want to be a good one.

* * *

"Welcome home, Chichiatsu-sama." A handmaiden greeted Chichiatsu-dono and I at the entrance to his palace. "Mitsuki-sama is waiting for you in your office."

"Thank you, Touka-san. Please, could you tell her I will be with her in just a moment?"

"Yes, Chichiatsu-sama." Bowing, Touka smiled at me, before leaving to go tell this MItsuki that Chichatsu-dono was on his way.

"Now then, Sakura-kun. Most likely Mitsuki-san is going to tell me that the nobles wish to dine with me tonight. It's a common occurrence, and considering I just returned from the Land of Fire, they're likely curious about the trip.

"Naturally, I would like for you to join me. But you shinobi like to operate in secrecy, so… I will send you out with Retsu-san, my chief tailor, to find you the best fitting kimono and hair arrangement possible. I will introduce you as a minor noble from the Land of Fire that I have taken a fancy to and wish to make my wife. Does that work, or would you rather something different? I'm still not entirely sure how I can help you work as efficiently as possible, I'm afraid."

I smiled at him. "No, that'll be fine. Hiding in plain sight shouldn't be too much of a hassle. Is there any specific way you want me to act?"

"No, that is entirely up to you. I don't wish to interfere with how you prefer to work."

"Perfect. I also imagine we'll be seated together?"

"If you need us to be, then I'll ensure it. Why?"

"Just in case something comes up. If I lay down my chopsticks for whatever reason, and I reach out and touch you on the shoulder, and I touch your foot with mine, could you stall for me? Answer any questions directed at me for me, and make sure no one comes close to touching me until I touch you again."

"Yes, I can do that. But again, why is this necessary?"

"It's a signal. If I feel something's wrong, I'll use that to alert you before I replace myself with a clone and go and investigate. The clone can't think for itself and if anyone touches it, it'll go away, so I'll need you to cover for me to ensure that it doesn't become obvious that I'm not really there."

"I see. That makes sense."

I smiled at him, nodded, and then fell behind him and followed, our conversation now over.

* * *

"Who exactly will be in attendance, Mitsuki-san?" Chichiatusu-dono asked his advisor.

"Katsuya-sama, Akai-sama, and… Abarai." The black haired woman's lip curled up in disgust at the mention of this last name. "Plus entourages." She hastily added.

**Marsh-Born Faith  
LV 1  
Hideyaki Mitsuki**

Chichiatsu-dono scowled for the first time since we had met, causing me to raise an eyebrow. Focusing on the woman who had been in control of the country for Chichiatsu-dono's short absence, I asked, "Who is this… 'Abarai'?"

"A criminal."

My head tilted to the side. "Then why...?"

"He's a yakuza head." Chichiatsu-dono stated simply.

"Ah. I know the type." I quietly remarked, thoughts turning to Wave and Gato. "I'm guessing that the forces you have stationed here aren't enough to fight through his own to arrest and capture him?"

"Even if they were, we have no proof that he is actually doing anything illegal," Mitsuki-san stated. "He's intelligent, and he covers his tracks well. We're aware of what he is, there isn't anyone in the capital that isn't, but until we actually see him or his associates committing a crime…"

"Your hands are tied." I finished for her. After a moment, I added "But mine aren't."

At their curious gazes, I decided to elaborate. "It's not common knowledge that I'm here, right?" At Chichiatsu-dono's nod, I continued. "We should ensure it remains that way. It gives me freer reins to act. I could try infiltrating his home to find any incriminating evidence, or if necessary… just eliminate him outright." I held back a grimace at the thought. Assassination… did I really want to do that?

Mitsuki-san's confusion mixed with concern. "How could you possibly manage that on your own? Not our best could-"

"I'm a shinobi." I interrupted, flicking my forehead protector, as Mitsuki-san's eyes widened in recognition. "Not a very old one, mind, or all that experienced, but… I think I'll be able to find my way around a few thugs."

"I see..."

Once again, my head lolled to the side. "Hm." A cloud of smoke obscured me, and when it disappeared, I was replaced with an older, taller and more feminine version of myself, with incredibly exaggerated curves that were almost impossible to obtain on any real human.

My hair was arranged in a style similar to what I had seen Madam Shijimi wear when we returned Tora to her, and I wore an expensive, yet revealing kimono. I made sure to look young enough that it made sense that Chichiatsu-dono and I could court each other yet also old enough that any older men wanting to do so wouldn't look like pedophiles.

"If he's anything like how I imagine, he'll have no qualms showing his interest even if we were said to be courting if I looked like this, Chichiatsu-dono," I murmured. "Grabbing his attention sexually grants me a free pass into his home, and leaves me in a position where I could just as easily search for evidence as I could execute." Gamer's Mind, thank you for everything. No way I could even talk about doing this without you, let alone plan on going through with it.

"Besides," I continued, "this saves you the expense and trouble of outfitting me."

Mitsuki-san stared at me in shock, while Chichiatsu-dono seemed surprised at first, but quickly recovered. It seemed he had started getting used to what I could do. "I see. So you plan to, uh seduce him?" He seemed uncomfortable at the thought.

"Of a sort, yeah." I said, letting the transformation fade, returning me to my regular appearance. "Nothing overt. I'll just show off some skin, act sultry, all that kind of stuff. I imagine that this guy's only difference from an animal is the fact that he's bipedal, so even that should catch his interest, and then… well, we'll take it from there should it happen."

I idly tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Don't worry. Unless he's secretly been hiring shinobi bodyguards, I should be fine. I should be able to escape if they somehow find me out." Even as I said that, I bit my lip. If things _didn't_ go according to plan, I wouldn't have anyone to bail me out. Am I ready for this?

"Well… If you're sure, Sakura-kun. If you're successful in doing this, it would be a great boon." Chichiatsu-dono seemed reluctant to even admit that, but he and I both knew it would be beneficial – to him, and his country.

"Is there anything specific I should look out for?" I quickly asked Mitsuki-san. Her worried frown didn't break, but she thought for a moment before answering.

"I very much doubt that you'll find any real documents lying around, legal or not. He's not an imbecile, he'll be sure to keep that hidden. His men however, most likely are not."

"So listen in to what they say, and report anything incriminating. Simple enough. I can do that." I pulled up my scarf over my mouth and nose, stepping back in silence for Mitsuki-san and Chichiatsu-dono to continue their conversation.

* * *

Finally, a couple of hours after we had actually entered into the palace, I was lead to my accommodation for the duration of my mission. To call my room extravagant would be an understatement. It was huge, the size of Naruto-kun's _entire_ apartment _at least_ and decorated in the same whites and purples and golds that adorned the palace and the rest of the rooms inside it. The walls were painted white with purple banners with gold trim dotting the walls and ceiling.

One wall was entirely covered by a white curtain with intricate flower designs of red, pink and gold inscribed on it. Opening it revealed that the wall was actually a gargantuan window, and natural light flooded in, staining the room in the vermillion of sunset. The dusky orange complimented the room rather than clashing, and I found myself smiling at the warmth it seemed to imbue into everything in the room.

The smile faded as I thought about what I had said I would be doing in just a few hours. I walked back to the window-wall and opened it, walking out onto an expansive balcony, overlooking fields of personal land to be used by the people living in Chichiatsu-dono's palace.

I jumped over the railing, landing down in the fields two storeys below me, before I quickly walked out to an expansive clearing where there wasn't anything around I could accidentally destroy, and I began to train, quickly weaving through the motions of Suzaku's style, in an attempt to botth raise the skill levels of the Vermillion Bird abilities, and to get some progress in increasing my physical stats.

* * *

I cleaved through a boulder with a knife hand and kicked the top half up into the air. With a combination of Lunge and Vermillion Bird's Beak, I launched myself at it and plowed straight through, shattering it to pieces. Twisting around, sixteen Magic Bullets blasted into the pieces of rock, and I incinerated the dust that remained of the pulverised boulder with a Flamethrower.

Landing with one leg bent and the other outstretched to the right, using my left hand to steady myself, I surged forwards, my already extended right leg swinging forward in a body shot to an invisible enemy.

My momentum swung me around so my back faced the enemy shinobi I was envisioning. Thinking quickly, I raised my left hand and released a Magic Blast, forgoing a brace. The recoil sent my elbow shooting back towards my enemy, crashing into his face, and arrested, and then reversed, my spinning momentum, turning me back to face him.

Moving with the momentum, my right hand closed into a fist, and I unleashed a Power Strike that ripped through his body and crashed into the ground, sending up a cloud of dust and dirt as it did so.

I let out a sigh, wiping some of the sweat from my brow, as the presence that had been watching me for the past 10 minutes came closer before retreating once again. "You can come out, you know. I don't bite."

The bushes they had been hiding in rustled as they likely flinched in surprise, before shaking as the person hidden stood and walked out. My eyes quickly raked the figure, before quietly darting up to the name and title above her head.

She was dressed in a traditional maid's outfit, with short and dark purple hair that had absolutely no frills to it, being just worn straight. She looked about Chichiatsu-dono's age, and as my eyes flitted to her own strikingly red ones, I briefly recognised her.

 **Anything For You**  
LV 1  
Touka

No family name, huh?

"Did you need something?" I casually asked the maid that had greeted Chichiatsu-dono and I as we had entered.

Her cheeks coloured in embarrassment. "N-No, not at all! I, um, just happened to come across you while performing my gardening duties, and it was absolutely entrancing to watch you, Sakura-sama."

"You know my name?"

"Yes, Sakura-sama! Chichiatsu-sama has tasked me with being your personal maid for the duration of your stay here. I hope I will be up to the task!" She responded cheerily, before bowing deeply.

"Oh… Right." I said, scratching the back of my head. I get a personal maid? Chichiatsu-dono's not sparing any expense is he? Between her and my room, I- I froze, as the rest of what she had said sunk in. "Wait, you were meant to be… gardening?" I looked to the ground where I had been training, and gulped. It was absolutely ruined. I turned back to her, but she was only smiling softly at me.

"Please don't fret, Sakura-sama. Chichiatsu-sama told me that you would likely need some space in the grounds, so my duties were simply to mark out a space for you. I will just ensure that this area is within it, and all shall be well."

I blinked. "You're taking this quite well."

She laughed. It was a pleasant sound, like a bell. "I am not the one who would worry about the state of the grounds; after all I don't tend to them. However, if Mikuro-san were to see this… Again, not to worry. I will divert all attention from you. I will take the blame myself if need be."

"You're... very dedicated. We've barely even met."

"Is it not my job to be?"

I tilted my head in concession. She had a point.

"Well then, Touka-san. When will the dinner be taking place?"

"In an hour and a half, Sakura-sama."

"Then let's get ready for it then, hmm?"

"Yes, Sakura–sama. As you wish."


	29. Duty 2

**A Life of its Own, Prologue**

**This Game of Life,** **Chapter 26**

**Duty 2  
**

Touka and I lightly chattered as we made our way back to the palace. She was very wary of revealing much of anything about herself or her past life, but she seemed genuinely kind-hearted, and confident enough to show it. In a way she reminded me of Hinata, or rather maybe of what Hinata might become in the future if she ever gained some confidence in herself.

Shit. That reminds me, I was meant to get her and Naruto-kun together, wasn't I? Well, they're training together, maybe they'll be able to do it organically?

…Oh, who am I kidding? Hinata'd never tell him she liked him and Naruto-kun's an idiot. If he was gonna notice, he would've long ago.

Well, I know what I need to do when I get back to the village.

At least I won't have to worry about Sasuke-kun. He seems to have it handled.

Of course, that's if he even realises what he's feeling… which he probably doesn't, because he's an idiot too.

Touka started at my facepalm, as I sighed into my hand. That'll be another thing I'll have to sort out on my return to the Leaf.

"Are you alright, Sakura-sama?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking of problems I'm probably going to have to sort out when I finally go home. …Boys are idiots, you know that?"

At that, she giggled. "Problems with your boyfriend?"

I snorted. "Not likely. My teammates, actually. And the problems are more to do with getting them both girlfriends."

"Are they socially inept or something?" She asked curiously.

"Of a sort, but that's not really the issue." I sighed. "They're both incredible. Stronger than me, and only going to get stronger. But… when it comes to women, they're both as dumb as a bag of rocks. One of them hasn't noticed that one of our classmate has been crushing on him since we were six. IF that doesn't exemplify what I'm talking about, I don't know what will."

She smiled. "I see. It seems you'll have your work cut out for you."

"Don't I know it."

We continued to speak with each other lightly, as we stepped into the building, and back to my room. Touka cleared her throat.

"Chichiatsu-sama has told me that you won't need my help preparing for the evening, at least with your appearance… However, I am here if that changes at all, and I can help with anything else that you might need."

I distractedly nodded, mind wandering, mostly now thinking of the dinner ahead. It was the first real 'mission' of sorts that I would take alone – protecting Chichiatsu-dono for the second leg of the journey didn't count, considering we had his troops also there, and besides that, we didn't even encounter any trouble during the trip anyway. No, this would prove if I was ready or not to actually accomplish what Chichiatsu-dono imagined I could. It's not like this was particularly sensitive, but… I couldn't mess this up.

If I did, I'll send myself home. If I couldn't handle this, what would I do when a real problem arose?

Belatedly, I realised Touka was waiting for my response – or, at the very least, had finished speaking. Without a word, chakra smoke enveloped me, and I emerged, taking the form that I had shown to Chichiatsu-dono and his advisor earlier. I turned to face Touka, and to her credit, she didn't show even a hint of surprise. For a moment, I thought that she might have seen something like this before, but after looking her in the eyes, I reconsidered that.

This was, of course, entirely new to her. It was simply her dedication to her job – to me, I realised – that prevented her from reacting in any way that could even be considered negative. I briefly wondered if she believed that the transformation had been a test, before dismissing the thought. It hardly mattered.

"To be honest, I'm more concerned with the evening's events, and the layout of things rather than anything to do with myself, at least for the moment. Could you talk me through how things will go – and walk me through every relevant area? Including the kitchen, now that I think of it."

"Of course. If you'll follow me, Sakura-sama." The woman turned, leaving the room with the sort of natural grace that only one who hadn't spent half their life preparing – even halfheartedly – to become a soldier could display. I was struck with the thought that perhaps she was even more like Hinata than I had first thought – that maybe, had she been born in a shinobi village, she'd be a kunoichi, and a good one at that.

* * *

Touka gave me a general rundown of the banqueting process, as well as a walk-through of all the rooms involved, so I had a rough mental map going of the layout. It had taken longer than I had hoped, to the point that by the time we had finished, I practically had to go and plaster myself to Chichiatsu-dono's side, as the guests had begun to arrive. Before the meal began, there were welcoming drinks being held in Chichiatsu-dono's great hall, and as I stayed by him, making myself seem like a dim, vapid creature who only really cared for money and sex, I took stock of those arriving.

Our party was rather small. It comprised of Chichiatsu-dono and I, of course, as the main attractions. I had thought that the original kimono I had imagined when I had first transformed would have been enough to fit in, but after seeing Chichiatsu-dono once he had prepared for the banquet, I rethought things. The kimono itself hadn't been a problem – the yukata that the daimyo wore himself seemed similarly expensive – it had been that I had entirely forgotten that the point of these sorts of things were to let rich people show off to each other, and I had completely forgotten the most important part – wildly, ridiculously intricate, beautiful, and completely overpriced jewellery and accessories.

I had rectified that, adding twin diamond bangles, a sapphire ring, and a gold necklace studded with brilliant amethyst to my attire. I thought to myself that it all was entirely too gaudy, and would clash horribly with what I was wearing, a fiery red kimono… but it hardly mattered.

Chichiatsu-dono's advisor, Mitsuki-san also joined us, looking far more understated and simpler, just wearing a yellow kimono with a single gold band around her neck. Despite the seeming lack of effort, her jet-black hair rolled down her back in waves, and I honestly began to feel somewhat nervous that I had understated my transformation when I looked at her.

Toyohisa-san was also here, not part of the party, but as protection, standing to the side, along with another of his samurai. I caught his eyes during my scan of the room, and to his credit, he didn't react whatsoever, despite the animosity I had felt from him during our first meeting.

My senses then spread outwards towards the rest of the room, as I looked out to the arriving guests. Most just seemed to various nobles, both major and minor, their wives, concubines, or perhaps even just girl for the evening hanging behind them. A few of the nobles were women themselves however, and those for the most part seemed to arrive alone, aside from one, who arrived with no less than three very attractive men who seemed to hang on to her every word. As they began filing into the room and filling it with laughter and debauchery in equal measure, a host of maids and servants descended on the room, bringing with them both drinks and snacks aplenty.

As Chichiatsu-dono smiled and schmoozed his way through conversations with money-grubbers and imperious twits alike, I spoke up, instead of hiding away, talking at length about how expensive all the trinkets that Chichiatsu had bought for me were, and how I was so grateful for him spending so much money on me. I would definitely pay him back later, I kept saying, with huge, obvious winks at whoever I might've been speaking to. The men drooled, the women with them scowled, while the few alone looked at me like I was the scum of the earth.

Which, of course, I am. But not in the way they thought.

Thirty dizzying minutes elapsed, having had more than twice that many conversations in that time. Despite wanting to lose myself in the spectacle of it all, however, I, and the Gamer's Mind, kept myself grounded. During this entire time, I hadn't even caught a glimpse of my target, and it was beginning to bother me. My impatience was soon rewarded though, as the doors violently swung open. The pleasant hum in the room that had only grown louder as time passed and drinks were emptied instantly quieted, the only sounds now being the scurrying of the servers and quiet whispers between the nobles. I turned to look at the door.

After returning from Wave, I had looked at our prison records. There I had seen a picture of Gato, and seen that he was a short, fat, terrified man, despite having never met him in person. I had mentally imagined that 'Abarai' would look just like him, or at least similar – but he was pretty much the complete opposite. He was tall and muscular, with sandy blonde hair and a dark complexion that belied that he must have originally hailed from the Land of Lightning. He, unlike every other noble in attendance, was simply wearing a suit, and sunglasses rested atop his forehead. I Observed him more closely.

**Marsh Gilded With Blood  
LV 9  
Abarai Honda**

That was an alarmingly high level… but nothing I couldn't handle, should it come to that.

He was flanked by two men, both dressed similarly to him. However, these two were noticeably weaker. I might have trouble taking them all on at once, but Honda alone, or just his lackeys wouldn't be a problem.

I felt more than heard Chichiatsu-dono's breath hitch and his chest tighten, clutching onto his arm as I was. "It's okay." I whispered, almost inaudibly. "He'll be out of your hair before the sun rises again, I promise you that." I blinked momentarily, suddenly realising something. "That is, if I have your permission to… eliminate the problem, should there be one."

The red-headed froze, for just a moment, before regaining his composure, whispering himself. "I would prefer if he were brought to trial… but if you deem it necessary, then of course. I don't wish to interfere." And with that, before I could even think to respond, Chichiatsu-dono clapped his hands and cleared his throat, addressing the room. I gazed at him, and saw a fire in his eyes that I hadn't noticed before.

This was the first time I had seen him in his element, after all, and as I listened to him addressing the gathered congregation, it became abundantly clear that despite how young he seemed in comparison to the nobles here today and the other daimyo, and his lack of confidence in his ability as aa leader, he was absolutely made for this.

"Honoured guests! It is my absolute pleasure to welcome you once again to my homme. I know that everything I own is rather meagre, compared to the riches each of you gather here today hold, but I do ask that you bear with it for now." Chichiatsu-dono's words earned him a light chuckle, and with it, the atmosphere in the room shifted once again, everyone seeming to relax. That was all a background occurrence for me however, as my eyes remained trained on Abarai Honda the entire time, the man not reacting in any way to what Chichiatsu-dono had said, instead picking up a flute of whatever drink was the nearest to him and downing it in one.

"As per usual, I will be announcing those who will be joining me and mine at the Lord's Table shortly. Of course, as always, the rest of you are more than welcome to dine with us regardless – I just simply won't be able to promise you my time should you be sat elsewhere." All the nobles perked up, and I could sense a subtle push in the crowd, as if those closer to Chichiatsu-dono would have a better chance of being picked. I realised that that was intentional – the selection was made to seem as if it were done on the spot, however we had already discussed who would be joining us – Katsuya, Akai, and Abarai.

Chichiatsu-dono waited for all of the nobles to settle and calm, during which time Abarai continued to consume anything and everything that he could get his hands on, which was fine with me. Him drinking himself into a stupor would just make my job easier.

"Tonight, those dining with me shall be… none other than Katsuya-sama, Akai-sama, and Abarai-sama!" Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, almost all of the nobles either cursed, blanched, or did both at once. One particularly portly noble however looked at Chichiatsu-dono relatively shocked, while the woman with three… handservants, I suppose, simply smirked.

Abarai continued to fill his stomach and slake his thirst.

* * *

After another twenty minutes and another round of flitting around the room in meaningless conversation, we finally left the great hall to go to the dining hall. Chichiatsu-dono, Mitsuki-san and I lead the way, with the portly man – Katsuya – and his wife close behind, and Akai with her three men behind him. Abarai and his goons trailed behind that, hands in their pockets and looking surly, while Toyohisa and his other samurai trailed behind them.

Katsuya and his wife were busy talking myself and Chichiatsu-dono's ear off – first about how grateful they were for the invitation, and then about anything and everything that came to mind. To their credit, they seemed like genuinely nice people, and I learnt that unlike most nobles in this country, Katsuya's wife Kurome was his first, and last.

Akai didn't say anything to us during the journey, aside from a curt thank you to Chichatsu-dono. The violet-haired woman seemed content to simply speak in hushed tones to the three men with her, but every time I glanced back, I could always see a sly grin on her face, and a glint in her smoky, honey coloured eyes. I made a note to watch her too.

Abarai still seemed content to simply go with the flow, only occasionally stopping to spit something out onto the floor, after which he would resume scowling at everything that moved, and most things that didn't. He was just a common thug who had found himself in a position of actual power for once. He would be easy to deal with.

Within minutes we were sat down, and as servers began to pour out of the kitchens with plates upon plates of food, Akai began to speak.

"So, Chichiatsu!" She smiled, leaning onto the table on one arm, in a distinctly unladylike fashion. "Who's the girl?"

Chichiatsu-dono's smile was tight. "She's from a minor noble family from the Land of Fire. We took a fancy to each other, so I have brought her back here to- "

"Right, right, get married, get your dick wet, yeah we get it. So, what do you think of our man of a daimyo, girlie?" I looked up at the woman and saw the look in her eyes. She was playing around completely, saying these things and asking these questions for no reason other than the fun of it, and yet… Chichatsu-dono was letting her get away with it.

 **Always Clean Your Needles**  
LV 4  
Akai Ayanokoji

This woman was dangerous.

I put on a dizzying, disarming smile. "He's the best! He bought me all these pretty presents and everything, and he told me that he'd get me anything I ever want! I couldn't ask for anyone better." I sidled up to him, gripping his arm slightly more tightly. "I'll be sure to make it up to him."

Akai grinned at my response, while my eyes flashed to those around the table. No one seemed to react, aside from a slight shift from Toyohisa, where he was guarding the door. I could almost feel his unease about being so close to his lord, and I fought the urge to stick out my tongue at him.

"Ahem…" Chichiatsu-dono cleared his throat. "If we're quite finished with all of that, I would like to get back to why you are all here. Katsuya-sama, I asked you and your wife here as a personal favour, as I and my troops have need of your rice stockpile, as well as your salt. May I have your assistance with this?"

"Of course, my lord! What's mine is yours!" The portly man replied, simply happy to help. Chichiatsu-dono smiled at him fondly, before looking towards the other two, plain faced and serious. Akai leaned back in her chair, grinning, while Abarai… Abarai proceeded to finish lighting the cigarette he had pulled out when Chichiatsu-dono had begun speaking, take a drag, and hold the thing between his teeth as he looked at the daimyo without a care in the world.

Chichiatsu-dono spoke once again. "Then, the two of you… it's come to my attention that you both have… proposals, for me. I would like to hear them."

Abarai took another drag, and then for the first time, deigned it necessary to speak. "Are you sure that that's a good idea with… present company? I would hate to hurt your new llttle flower's ears with my crass vocabulary."

"She will be with me at all events from today onward. I see no reason for her to leave now."

He took another drag. "Okay." His voice was gravelly, and deeper than I had expected, considering he only looked to be in his twenties. "Well then… actually, Daimyo-sama, I recently purchased a lottery ticket, and by complete chance, happened to hit the jackpot. The resulting windfall has made me noticeably wealthier than before, but I feel guilty, for whatever reason. I feel that I should spread this good fortune, in case said good fortune come back to me. Perhaps, if I would gift a sizeable portion of my newfound riches to you, perhaps that good karma would return to me, and my recent purchase – a simple shipment of trading goods – would arrive with no problems, no bandit attacks on the caravan carrying it, or anything of the sort…What do you think, Daimyo-sama? Do you think the karmic loop would continue, under those circumstances?"

Chichiatsu-dono was quiet, thinking over his response. Abarai took the chance to speak again. "Of course, if you believe the loop will not continue, or the karma is not quite good enough to accomplish such a feat… well, I'll be forced to hire mercenaries to protect the shipment, and you know what sort of wild thugs they are. Who can say what they'll do in the towns after receiving their pay…"

Chichiatsu-dono's jaw tightened, and he swallowed dryly, while I realised what kind of man I was really dealing with. I had been a fool to instantly believe this man was a common crook just by the way he behaved. The way he spoke, the way he _threatened_... not to mention the underlying intelligence you could feel when listening to him.

Just like Akai, he was dangerous. And I knew that my promise to Chichiatsu-dono would be unfulfilled. I wouldn't be killing this man, not tonight. Not without setting in motion a myriad of contingency plans I am now certain he's set.

So this is what it was like… to be on an S-Rank.


	30. Promise

**A Life of its Own, Prologue**

**This Game of Life,** **Chapter 27**

**Promise**

"I believe that… the karmic loop that you speak of… will continue unabated, should you go along with your proposed suggestion." Chichiatsu-dono seemed to have to choke the words out of himself.

"Very good." Abarai took a large drag on his cigarette, before putting out the stub on the tablecloth and standing, his two goons doing the same. "Daimyo-sama. Little flower." He inclined his head respectfully – honestly, his behaviour made it seem like there were two minds in his body – before nonchalantly strolling out of the dining hall, Toyohisa quickly sending his second after them. I briefly considered following, wanting to keep the thoughtless promise I had given less than an hour prior – but I didn't. This man wouldn't go down just like that, not without also taking down others. It was an unnecessary risk.

"He looking like more your type?" My head swivelled to face Akai. I almost scowled when I saw the huge grin plastered on her face, before I caught myself, remembering what character I'm playing. So I shrugged instead, grinning.

"He's not as nice as my Chichiatsu-sama! I bet he'd never get me gifts like he would. Although… he was pretty hot…" I could feel Chichiatsu-dono squirm. I cringed, both at myself and for his sake, but I couldn't just break character _now_.

"You think? He's pretty average to me. I've got plenty like him-" Chichiatsu-dono coughed, interrupting her, which only caused her grin to expand. "What, you don't want her to know what I'm here for? I'm operating under your laws, you know. Don't act like you're above it." She leaned further onto the table. "We both know the only reason you haven't been in yourself is 'cause you're not old enough-"

A loud bang reverberated through the room, and Akai l let out a yelp, retreating as far as she could back into her chair along with what I now understood to be her sex workers, or at least something along those lines. I followed suit, instead nestling myself even further into Chichiatsu-dono's side, even as my eyes flicked over to what I knew was the source of the noise. Toyohisa stood stock still, just as unmoving as he had been the entire time, and I smirked. Despite relegating himself to purely guard duties, he certainly could make his presence known when he wanted to.

Silence filled the room for a few moments, before Chichiatsu-dono retook control. "Akai-sama. Your proposition, if you will?"

Akai still looked slightly shaken – _despite her higher-than-average level, she's not used to combat, or is good at acting like it, noted –_ as she nodded, her usual joviality seemingly gone for now. "Y-Yeah. I want your sanction. Your taxes on top of our operating costs are too high."

Chichiatsu-dono raised an eyebrow. "So you're asking me to just lower your taxes? For what?"

She shook her head. "Nah. I just want your blessing. You and I both know just how much that affects businesses here. There's a few upstarts that have cropped up lately – been snatching up my clientel. I was thinking of doing some rebranding and remodelling over the next few months. Then have a grand re-opening for the new year, with you doing the honours. Have it be a café or spa or somethin' during daylight hours, haven't really thought through all the details yet, then back to normal during the night."

"You still haven't explained what I get out of this."

She huffed, affronted. "Well, I gotta pay the licensing fee for whatever new thing we're doing, right? You'll get that."

"Everyone has to do that. What's stopping me opening for one of your rivals?"

"I'll pay double tax for the rest of the year before the referb starts."

"That'll equal four months at most. Not really that much, since you already run at discounted rates. Besides, I'll be getting double tax when you reopen anyway, on account of the secondary business."

She sighed. "Fine. I'll pay you a fee beforehand, and you can get a share in the company. Can we work out numbers later? I'm hungry."

Chichiatsu-dono smiled. "That's acceptable."

* * *

The rest of the evening passed without incident, Abarai's exit having put things in a lighter mood. As things dragged on, I felt myself becoming quieter and quieter, as it slowly became more and more apparent that I was out of my depth here. Better to keep my mouth shut than blow my cover, I thought, and besides, the main target was long gone. So what if my disguise became a little easier to see through now?

Besides, it's not like the cover would last the whole time I was here. In fact, I'd be surprised if it lasted more than a month, maybe two. Word would get out that Chichiatsu-dono had a ninja, once I started really performing jobs for him. Not to mention I hadn't really bothered to hide my forehead protector when we had entered the city, though the general populous here was so self-absorbed that I don't think many, if any, noticed.

Instead, I tugged on Chichiatsu-dono's sleeve, and whispered in his ear, feigning tiredness. "I don't think there's anything more to gain from this, sir. I think it would be best if I could leave now, so I can get started on figuring out Abarai." My voice was barely a whisper, and Chichatsu-dono nodded sagely as he heard what I had to say.

"Yes, that's fine… Ahem." He said, grabbing the attention of the rest at the table. "Sakura-san here is feeling tired from the long trip, so she will be leaving us now. Please excuse us." He stood, and I followed suit, bowing deeply.

"I'm really sorry! It was really nice meeting all of you!" As I fervently apologised, Chichiatsu-dono called over Toyohisa, telling him to escort me to my quarters.

"Let us return, Sakura-hime." The older man gruffly said, staring straight at the centre of my forehead to avoid making eye-contact. I fought the urge to smirk, nodding and obediently following the man along. I waited until we were a ways down the corridor before releasing my transformation with a burst of chakra smoke, earning a sneer from Toyohisa.

"What info do you have on Abarai?" I asked, my eyes flashing to his, forcing him to meet my gaze. Despite the difference in size, and the fact that I knew that he could take me in a fight, he still began to sweat.

' **Evoke Fear' has increased in level by one!**

He quickly turned away, looking down the corridor. "Why do you need it?"

I raised an eyebrow. "So I can plan how to kill him, obviously. Why else?"

He scoffed. "As if you could. Some of my best men wouldn't be able to defeat him, and while you may be one of those hack magicians, I have no reason to-"

"Well, you could beat him, right? So by definition, I can too."

He stopped, glowering at me. "Are you insulting me?"

I kept walking, facing down the hall. "Not at all, you're pretty strong. But the fact that you're so terrified of me should be proof enough, right?"

I could _feel_ his flinch, and I turned on my heel, looking back at him. "I'm young enough to be your granddaughter. What are you so afraid of?"

He paused. "No child should be capable… of creating such a scene like you did. And not only did you tear apart those stupid enough to keep fighting, once the fighting was finished, you began to kill the unconscious ones, too. You would have happily killed them all had the one with one eye not stopped you. What are you?"

"You're talking about the bandits?" At his silence, I just shrugged. "It was them or me. And I killed the others just in case. Even if we captured them, they'd die anyways, or waste the Land of Fire's money rotting away in a cell for the rest of their lives, so…" I shrugged again. I didn't see the glint of disgust in his eyes for my disregard of life. I did, however, hear him grip the blade of his katana more tightly.

Obviously, my answer hadn't been what he had wanted to hear. And I knew that should he choose to, he would probably be able to kill me. The Gamer's Mind kept me calm where most would begin to panic, and I looked first lazily at his sheathed blade held in a white-knuckle grip, and then drifted up to his eyes. "That reminds me, actually. Mind if I join you and your men in your training from tomorrow? Could do with some sword training, we don't really get that many master swordsmen back home."

_Show no fear._

_He fears you._

_**Give him a reason to.** _

After his lack of response, I continued. "I'll take that as a yes. It's not like you would've stopped me, but at least now you'll get me a sword to use. Right?" I stared him in the eyes, and for maybe the first time, consciously tried to expel my killer intent until he backed down, releasing his sword. He stiffly nodded, and I smiled. Crisis averted. "Good! Now, let's get that info."

**A skill has been created through a special action! Through awakening your killer intent, the skill 'Killing Intent' has been created!**

* * *

"This is all you have? Really?" I asked, a little shocked. The manilla folder that I had been given listed little more than Abarai's physical description, the names of a few of his goons, and the public properties he owned. Toyohisa bristled, annoyed at my tone.

"That snake would never let us get anything on him. He's far too slippery."

"Well, he certainly wasn't the pushover I was expecting. Still, though. I thought there would be more. Doesn't really matter though." I closed the folder, standing up from the small desk that held various other pieces of information for people of interest. "I'm going back to my room. Tell Chichiatsu-dono that I'll get back to him with a plan of action tomorrow, will you? I need to think on this."

"I am not your-"

I glared at him, allowing my Killing Intent to leak out again, and the man immediately shut up. I felt a little guilty for scaring the man, and for giving him an awful impression of shinobi… but at the same time, he hadn't liked us to begin with, and to be honest… it was a little thrilling, being able to cow a man who could probably kill me with a single swing with my mere presence. It reminded me of how I had felt in Wave around the civilians, before…

My mood darkened.

' **Killing Intent' has increased in level by one!**

I heard Toyohisa begin struggling for breath, and I instantly relaxed, having momentarily lost myself. I hadn't realised that my Killing Intent could have such a strong effect on him - though I suppose that was more due to him never really experiencing it rather than anything special about my brand of it. Despite wanting to, I didn't apologise for the discomfort, instead turning on my heel and walking out of the room. I couldn't just go back on the power dynamic I had developed.

Or maybe it was just because it was still a bit thrilling.

* * *

I flopped onto my new bed, marvelling at how soft it was. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Touka smiling softly, as I realised she had been waiting for me here. "How long have you been waiting for?"

"As long as you have been gone, Sakura-sama."

"I see. Well, I don't think I'll need anything more tonight. You can go rest."

Her shoulders sagged, almost imperceptibly, and the light in her eyes shifted. "Thank you, Sakura-sama. Goodnight." She slowly walked out of the room, flicking a switch as she softly closed the door behind her. Instantly, the lights in the room began to dim, before settling on a pleasant level that made my room shine with a brilliant golden-brown. I smiled, sinking into the mattress further, before looking at my status.

 **Name: Haruno Sakura  
** **Class: The Gamer  
** **Level:** **LV 13  
** **HP:** **380/380  
** **MP: 330/330  
** **STR: 15  
** **VIT: 19  
** **DEX: 15  
** **INT: 58  
** **WIS: 33  
** **LUK: 10  
** **Points: 0**

As I already knew, my physical stats lagged far behind my mental ones. I thought about how best to proceed with training – should I keep training at what I was best at, or try and bring everything up to par? The first option was tempting – after all, after getting my INT to 50, I'd gotten a free skill, and I imagine that that trend would continue, and WIS was the closest to hitting one of those benchmarks. But… it's not like the fact that those skills were farther away for my physical stats made them any less real, or attainable. Plus, the only ninja techniques I even had with me to learn were the final two Vermillion Bird skills, and those… Well, let's just say my body had a of work to do. Hell, even my WIS wasn't high enough for the last one yet.

"Guess I've got to go get sweaty…" I grumbled, standing. To be honest, at some point during my stay I would have to focus on my physical attributes. They would be the only things that anyone here would really be able to help me train with, or teach me new skills for. How exactly I'm going to increase my INT and WIS when the time came for it, I didn't know…. But that was a problem for later.

My leg flashed out into the room, as I envisioned Toyohisa and tried to hit him in the temple with a kick. I failed miserably, not nearly flexible enough – or maybe just not _big_ enough – to hit such a high target… but that was now. As I began warming up, and slowly ramping up the tempo, it slowly began to dawn on me just how good for me this mission really was. At the time when I had accepted it, the only thing I had thought about was the fact that it was an S rank mission, and that it'd look really good on my record if I completed one, by myself.

And while yes, that was true… I realised that Swamps _didn't have a ninja village,_ and it didn't have one for a reason. While that might sound stupid, especially considering that I had known that already, I only really just now began to realise what it meant for me.

Swamps didn't have a ninja village because it rarely needed ninja work done. This was obvious. What that meant though, would be that _I_ would rarely be needed specifically. Of course, I fully expect Chichiatsu-dono to ask me to accomplish some unnecessary and frivolous tasks, he _is_ a noble, but… He's also smart, and so I imagine those would be few and far between.

Which meant that I wouldn't actually be doing anything for the better part of three years. Which meant I would just be _training_ for the better part of three years. And – when ninja work did crop up, as it had today, I would be the only one doing that work, meaning I would be getting all of the EXP for it – and while I didn't expect it to be that much, it'd also probably be more than I'd be getting back home. At least, until I made chuunin or something. Probably.

Some people – certainly, the me from a few months ago, before I had gotten this power – would shy away from three years of training, or slack off – but the realisation revitalised me, and I sped up my kata, faster than I realised I was capable of. This excited me. I enjoyed seeing my numbers tick up – seeing the physical changes that it wrought on my body. I _liked_ feeling strong. And this was an opportunity – an opportunity to become stronger than I could even imagine.

The rest of my thoughts were lost in the thrum of my flying fists.

* * *

Once again, I was very glad that the Gamer's Body just meant my body got stronger as I trained, with none of the soreness, or the waiting for my muscles to actually grow. I had gotten carried away, and trained all night for the first time in a while – but I felt like it would be something I would be getting into the habit of doing again, whether I thought about it or not.

 **Name: Haruno Sakura  
** **Class: The Gamer  
** **Level:** **LV 13  
** **HP:** **380/380  
** **MP: 330/330  
** **STR: 15  
** **VIT: 19  
** **DEX: 17  
** **INT: 58  
** **WIS: 33  
** **LUK: 10  
** **Points: 0**

Oh, yeah. I had thought about figuring out how to train my LUK, hadn't I… Ahh, that can wait. Once I had gotten the rest up to somewhere I was happy with, then I can spare the time to look into it. Maybe after a year's worth of training? Yeah, by then I would surely be strong enough to kick that Kurotsuchi girl's ass into next week if I ever saw her again. I could take a distraction then.

A polite knock on my door pulled me out of my thoughts, and I quickly opened it to see Touka there. "Good morning, Sakura-sama."

"Hey there, Touka. Is Chichiatsu-dono calling me or something?"

"Not that I know of. I simply wanted to let you know I was here."

I nodded, understanding. "Well, come in. I'm going to take a quick shower, and then we can get started with the day."

"Of course. What would you like for breakfast? I can get the chefs started while you get ready."

"Don't bother, I'm not hungry." I called out, shutting the bathroom door with a click.

* * *

I stepped out of the bathroom, delicately towelling my hair as I did so. It was getting pretty long, but I didn't dare think about cutting it. I might not be keeping it long for Sasuke-kun, but… what if Ami-chan liked long hair? I shook the blush and my thoughts away, seeing Touka waiting. As I thought she would, she'd completely ignored me when I had told her I wasn't hungry, and had a tray with three plates on it with her – grilled fish, miso soup, and natto. I grimaced at the natto – I knew it was an acquired taste, but it was one skill I had no intention of learning. The other two smelled wonderful, though, and I smiled at Touka. "Thanks."

She inclined her head, setting the tray down and letting me eat. Despite genuinely not feeling hungry, I ate all of the soup and the fish, and even attempted a bite of the natto, actually managing to swallow it for once before giving up on it. Touka giggled. "I'll be sure to tell the chefs to not prepare natto in future, Sakura-sama."

"Do you mind telling them to watch the spice on things while you're at it? I can't handle spicy foods."

"Of course."

I huffed, standing up. "Well, that can wait. Let's go see Chichiatsu-dono, hmm?"

"If that is what you wish, Sakura-sama."

* * *

"I'm sorry, Chichiatsu-dono."

He looked at me quizzically from his throne of sorts. Toyohisa shifted uncomfortably to his left. "Whatever for?"

"I broke my promise. Abarai wasn't dealt with last night."

"Oh, that… Well, he wasn't quite what you expected, right? No one can blame you for that."

"True. But I still overestimated myself and couldn't back up my bluster. I'm sorry for being so arrogant."

He waved me off. "Please, it's not a problem." He smiled warmly at me. "I trust that you will be able to deal with this problem eventually, and that is all I ask of you. Take your time if you need it."

I was lucky that he was so magnanimous. "Well, actually, I have a bit of a plan brewing. He didn't give much away yesterday evening, but what he did give us might be enough. I need time to figure out the details, though… Would it be possible to get the details on that shipment he mentioned? Where and when it's coming?"

At that, Chichiatsu-dono looked to his right, and Mitsuki-san spoke after a moment. "That shouldn't be an issue, though it may take a couple of days in case you plan to-"

"That's fine," I said, cutting her off. "I don't expect to make any major moves before then. I just need to see what I can find out about him before it happens, though probably the real nail in the coffin will be the shipment itself."

"One last question." All three of their eyes trained on me. "Has Abarai ever spent time outside of Swamps?"

Toyohisa answered. "He has left from time to time on business, but is always back within a month. And to my knowledge, while his parents were immigrants from the Land of Lightning, he was born here."

Hmm. "Okay, actual last question. Does he have any fighting experience? Or training?"

Toyohisa seemed confused about the question. "Well, obviously we don't know every detail about his life, otherwise _you_ wouldn't be needed… but no, to my knowledge, aside from a few street fights."

I sighed. "That's what I thought. This might be harder than I thought…" I mumbled quietly.

Fighting a bunch of who knows how many thugs was already a lot to ask, but a bunch hopped up on soldier pills? That might be a bit much. Even for me.

* * *

**Sakura's stats will probably look different to you if you're paying attention, specifically her HP and MP. I changed the values of both, both of them now larger. I changed the HP because for some reason I stopped increasing it along with her stats, and have now corrected it, meanwhile when I compared her MP to her HP it seemed ridiculously low, especially considering that her WIS was much higher relative to her VIT, so I changed the ratio for that stat. The updated values in this chapter are accurate, and should stay like this unless i fuck up again. I'll update the previous chapters to reflect these changes eventually, so it looks consistent, after which I'll delete this note.**


	31. Honour

**A Life of its Own, Prologue**

**This Game of Life,** **Chapter 28**

**Honour**

Thoughts of Abarai were banished from my mind as I swung the shinai in my hand, testing its weight. The gathered samurai seemed rather shocked – at the ease I swung what was meant to be a two-handed training weapon made for grown men in a single hand, and at my presence in general. Toyohisa didn't seem to share their awe. "Come here, nin." He roughly barked, silencing the chatter in the room, and reminding the men exactly who I was. I could feel the atmosphere becoming more frosty, especially as I continued swinging, ignoring the older man. "I said-"

"I know what you said. Heard you loud and clear. I'll come when I'm good and ready." The man's teeth clenched, face turning a mottled puce in his indignation at being spoken to so casually.

"You impudent little-!"

The temperature in the dojo dropped a few more degrees as I let my killing intent out into the room in full force. "You forget yourself, Mihikata." I muttered darkly, playing up the character I had inadvertently created the night before as much as I could.

**Evoke Fear has increased in level by one!**

**Killing Intent has increased in level by one! Killing intent has increased in level by one! Killing Intent has increased in level by one!**

The assorted men whose surprise had begun to give way to anger instantly stopped chattering again, their fledgling rage being consumed by fear. Toyohisa himself felt it – the blood had drained from his face, leaving it stark white. Even still, he opened his mouth to try and retain some semblance of control, but after listening to him struggle to form a coherent sentence for a few seconds, I took pity on him, pulling back my intent and further taking charge of the situation.

"Anyway, now that we all are aware who's in charge here… I'm here for a reason, to learn how to wield a sword better so I can better protect your lord for the duration of my post. So, since you're, uh, honour-bound to aid him, and all that crap, you've got a duty to help me. Otherwise you'd break your vows."

Obviously, none of them took stock of what I was saying, but then it wasn't for their sake. It was just in case any of them had any bright ideas about going to Chichiatsu-dono about me. I could just state that reason and say that I just needed to use a bit of force to get my point across… nothing serious. I looked through the throng of men as I thought, taking note of levels and titles as I did so. Toyohisa was the strongest, which made sense – though there were a few close to him in strength. They were on the older side, for the most part, a handful with their hair fully sliver.

"You." I pointed at one such man, the one with the highest level out of the old men. "You look like you've been through a lot. Surely you can teach me the most. You'll be my sparring partner until I say otherwise."

The old man's face twisted, turning an angry red. "I will do no such thing! I will never teach the skills I have spent my entire life learning to a filthy, honourless ninja-!" The man's speech was cut off by a deep gasp, his hands fluttering to where I had firmly placed my fist in his stomach.

"Easy there, gramps," I said softly, though I knew everyone in the room could hear and see me. "You shouldn't get worked up like that. It's not good for your health." I leaned in, this time making sure he was the only one who could hear me. "And neither is disobeying me."

I felt kinda bad, strong-arming the old dude. He was the Hokage's age, or perhaps even older, and to be fair, it's not like I _needed_ them to learn kenjutsu, The Gamer would take care of that, but… it undeniably felt good, being the top dog. But only a little.

I pulled back, smiling brightly, and placing my hand on the old man's shoulder, who at this point had gone pale. "You feeling better now gramps? Great. I'm sure you'll come around to it." My eyes flashed at the old man, before turning away.

"Got anything to add, Toyohisa-chan?" The man bristled at the insult, but didn't act. I mentally locked that reaction away – I couldn't risk pushing him over the edge and actually making him attack me, or I'd almost certainly die. Although – now that I think about it, considering my shitty killer intent was so effective on them, my genjutsu'd also probably work wonders… hmm. Something to bear in mind.

"Yes, I do." The man stood straight to his full height, I imagine in an attempt to intimidate me – which might've worked, had I not fought against Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi and found the smaller girl was far more deadly than the giant of a man. Though, I'm sure he would've torn us apart just as easily had he wanted. "This is my dojo." I blinked, focusing on Toyohisa to make it at least _seem_ like I was listening.

"This is my dojo," he repeated, "And what _I_ say goes. My word is law here."

I sniggered. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that." His jaw clenched, before he continued.

"I will _not_ brook insubordination from you, and you will _not_ threaten and make fools of my men. If you even try, I'll have you strung up and quartered like the criminal scum you are. Do you understand me?"

"You'd have to catch me first. Reckon you could manage that? Also, dude, it's not insubordination if I'm not one of your men, so your first point doesn't even make sense. You meant to say you won't take disrespect from me, like what I'm doing right now. Speaking of, I've broken one of your rules. Shouldn't you be quartering me like you said?"

The large samurai seemed to stumble over his own anger at my last statement, because of course his threat was empty. No matter what he thought of me, I wasn't one of his men, I wasn't even from Swamp, I was a hired agent of Fire, meaning I was one of the Fire Daimyo's men. To touch me would require express permission from Chichiatsu-dono, and even then would put our country's alliance in jeopardy, and perhaps even incite war. And trust me, civilian war was bad enough, but one where the country's shinobi had good reason to be incensed _and_ the enemy had no native nin of their own? It'd be the end of the country.

Toyohisa wasn't stupid; he understood this, and so on a base level he also understood that I also couldn't do anything to him for the same reasons, but he also understood that Swamp was not the threat to Fire that Fire was to Swamp, and more to the immediate point – if I really were to act against him, I wouldn't get caught. I was a creature of the night, a bogeyman, something that was only seen when it wanted to be; at least that was the warped image of me our time together and his own assumptions had created. He could try to force his way to being equal with me all he wanted – he knew by now that it'd never work, even if I let him say he was. It would only be a matter of time till his men understood that too.

I turned on my heel, point made. "I'm done here. I'll begin my training the day after I resolve the Abarai situation. I'm looking forward to it!"

I left the sliding door open behind me, feeling their gazes never leave my back as I walked into the distance.

* * *

"Alright," I sighed, the paltry – though not insignificant – information about Abarai available fresh in my mind. "I'm not going to get anywhere lazing around here training all day, much as I'd like to… that can wait until after I deal with this guy." _Chichiatsu-dono would be fine with it if I got rid of him, since we all know that he's guilty… but he'd prefer to deal with it in the Swamp way, meaning my priority is just to incriminate him, not kill. I only engage if I'm caught – unlikely – or if there's an extenuating circumstance…_ Those thoughts repeated in my mind as I left the palace to do my own digging.

Too many times, I found myself acting without thinking, despite the Gamer's Mind keeping me calm. It didn't stop me from acting rashly – it simply made it so that instead of panicking and freezing up in an unexpected scenario, I instead just immediately began fighting. That won't fly here. I don't have a Kakashi-sensei to bail me out, or the boys to back me up, and I want to respect my employer's wishes, when able…

Lost in my thoughts, my body went on autopilot, leaping up to a rooftop. I berated myself for it – I'd just done what I was telling myself not to. My presence here wasn't known to the public – for now, at least, and keeping it that way would make the current situation easier. Thoughtlessly leaping around like that in broad daylight would give me away faster than I could blink. Luckily, this time, it seems no one had seen.

I gazed at the capital's skyline, realising that coming up here was bad for a second reason – this wasn't a ninja village. The buildings were massively different heights, and most of them didn't have flat roofs like I was used to. Even the ones that did had much less running space than the Konoha buildings, and there was the second issue – the rooftop network worked in the Leaf due to the both the buildings being built to accommodate it and also because of the sheer amount of shinobi using them, carving out clear flight paths over time due to natural wear. This city had neither, and I struggled to find even a single roof to leap to from where I was, so I didn't even try, instead looking up to the top of the highest building I could see, and firing over to it with a Body Flicker.

* * *

I touched down onto the high, slanted roof, adhering to it with chakra as soon as my sandals made contact with the stone the structure was made of. "No one should be able to see me here… certainly no civilian should be able to, bu then, if i'm right about Abarai, things might not be so simple…" I crouched down, considering for the first time just how I intended to actually get the information I needed. I had been talking up my ability in stealth and recon, and while they were _leagues_ ahead of any civilians, I wasn't particularly sneaky by shinobi standards, nor had I received any real training in it, other than the Academy standard.

"I should've nabbed that clone technique off the boys as a parting gift… I could really use another pair of eyes, or another twenty."

Although… It's not like I didn't have a clone technique myself, right? True, the Bunshin no Jutsu was an E-ranked ninjutsu that was really more of a genjutsu in the vein of my False Surroundings technique, and couldn't really help me as it was… but I didn't have to use it _as it was,_ did I? Ever since I became The Gamer, I've been creating techniques through novel manipulations of my chakra, and then modifying and building upon said manipulations by further stretching and specialising them. But I had never considered - what was stopping me from doing the same, to _the already existing jutsu I had_?

It's not like I had to worry about figuring out handseals, or anything like that - the only real difference between my jutsu and the skills I had created myself is that my jutsu tended to have fancier names, and broader application, but that didn't mean I couldn't change them as I did everything else.

That thought burning in my mind, I created a single Clone, and the illusory doppelganger stared back at me. Should I not directly order it to do something, or create it while having specific instructions in mind, it would remain there forever, until the chakra I used to create the construct ran out, and it returned to the ether.

"The Shadow Clones are completely different… They're solid, for one, meaning they can make physical contact with things and have an impact on the world, as seen by them casting shadows… And, more importantly, they seem to have minds of their own. They definitely have _some_ form of higher brain function, unlike this, which is completely mindless. In contrast… the shadow clone is meant to take fuckloads of chakra, while the cost of making one of these is miniscule, even for me, and my chakra capacity, while growing bigger now, is miniscule compared to most shinobi."

Hmm. It couldn't be that easy, could it? ...It was worth a shot. For the first time in… months, I placed my hands together into the horse seal, using the construct to help with retaining control as I mustered up as much chakra as I was willing to let loose in a civilian city. I needn't have bothered, however. It only took a thought - no, less than that - and my chakra instantly responded to my call, flowing through my body and saturating both it and the air around me, the smallest wisps of energy coming off of me.

Despite the - for me, at least - veritable flood of power I was harnessing, however, I remained in complete control the entire time, and once I realised this, I dropped the seal, having inadvertently confirmed once and for all that I would never again need to make a handseal for as long as I lived. I nodded to myself, and thrust the thrum of power into shaping my image.

I was rewarded by my MP tanking to dangerously low levels, to the point where I almost didn't have enough to remain stuck to the roof, and a large cloud of chakra smoke - despite my best efforts. my inexperience with controlling such large amounts of chakra had meant at least _some_ of it had been lost, unfortunately - and as the smoke cleared, another clone. But… It still had that completely mindless gaze, and while it did seem more corporeal than the first one, it still wasn't really what one would consider _solid -_ if anything, I'd just made the technique into more of a ninjutsu. The lack of a skill pop-up further confirmed that just supercharging the jutsu, in this case at least, wouldn't be enough. There was something more that I was missing, something that made a shadow clone fundamentally different from the regular.

I scrambled up higher on the roof, sitting at the top of its slant, and began to think about the problem more deeply, my mission completely forgotten in the wake of this new dilemma.

"Maybe… the clue's in the name? It's a _shadow_ clone… but they're not made from shadows, right? I thought they were called that just because they actually cast shadows, or something like that… But maybe they _are_ made from shadow. You can make clones out of things, Kakashi-sensei and Zabuza both did it with water, and that big guy - Akatsuchi - he didn't make a _clone_ , per se, but he made rocks into a humanoid shape and got them moving on their own, so it probably shares at least some of the principle…"

"So maybe the shadow clones are just that - _shadow_ clones. Living shadows, essentially. I mean, the Nara use their shadows for all their jutsu, so its not like there's a precedent against using shadow for techniques. But then… how do you manipulate your shadow?" My brow furrowed. I'm no Nara, in training or raw intelligence, and even if I were to figure out how to manipulate shadows, it probably wouldn't be happening today, on this roof.

"So… let's focus on what I _can_ use already. Fire and Earth." I breathed in deeply, before shuddering and stopping myself. I couldn't practice that here, in the middle of the city. If I lost control of it… Earth was out too. It'd make my presence far too obvious. And, honestly… I gazed at my MP, still teetering on just high enough to keep me aloft. I didn't have the chakra to try it now, anyways. I didn't have the chakra to do much of anything right now, really, thanks to that failed experiment.

Cursing my recklessness at wasting pretty much all of my chakra on an experiment that I not only didn't know would work or not, but also didn't even have an _indication_ if it would, I sat on the roof, waiting for enough chakra to have replenished that I could safely Body Flicker back to the palace. My first day of investigation ended before it even began.

* * *

A couple of hours later, chakra now back to a useable level, I stood in my marked out training area, in just an undershirt and shorts, foregoing my scarf and my dress. I was about to play with fire, after all, and I don't know if I'd be able to replace them. To the side, Touka watched from a safe distance, and a few more curious eyes stole glances as they passed by.

"Okay. Test number 1…" I breathed in deeply, before lifting my head to face the sky, a plume of fire escaping from my mouth as I expelled a Flamethrower above me, and my gathered onlookers gasped. Unlike normal however, I made a concerted effort to retain control over my released flaming chakra, even as it fell down around me. Many small fires sprouted up around me, but as I watched each of them, I smiled as they did not spread, and each lit up a little more brightly as I pushed chakra in its direction. "Success."

"Test 2…" I now tried to _throw_ my chakra out to each of the flames, and drag them all together into one big conflagration. In the back of my mind, I realised that I could've skipped this by just making a Fireball to begin with, and starting from there… But that wasn't as fun, or cool. Besides, knowing that I could manipulate my fire after I had sent it out as long as I kept a mental link to the chakra could come in handy. As I thought this, the flames had already merged into a large bonfire, leaving smoldering streaks where they had dragged themselves across the ground. I could feel the crowd watching this growing by the second, but I ignored them. This had been the easy bit, the stuff I had assumed was possible but had wanted to see for myself. This coming part, though…

Bidden by my thoughts, the flames began binding themselves into a humanoid shape. At first, they were formless, featureless… but little by little, it was less of a blank slate, and more of a reflection of me. In a couple of minutes, and with a good deal of effort on her part, it was like looking in a mirror. Well, apart from the fact that the clone was still just… fire. It had her _shape,_ but not her _appearance_ …

Thinking quickly, I thought of the Clone technique, and how I manipulated my chakra to make that work, and before I could second-guess myself, I pushed that _through_ the flame in front of me, using it as a medium to cast the jutsu. Before my eyes, and the onlooking crowd, which at this point even Chichiatsu-dono had joined, was an… almost perfect replica of me. The grass smoked under her feet, and her eyes burnt like fire, glowing a burnished orange… But she grinned at me, and I grinned back. "Hell yeah!" We said in unison, me not having commanded her to do anything of the sort, and we high-fived each other in elation.

**A skill has been created through a special action! Through manipulation of fire, and understanding one's self, the skill 'Vision of Ferocity - Flame' has been created!**

I didn't know it, but I was the first person ever to create a fire clone.


	32. Experimentation

**A Life of its Own, Prologue**

**This Game of Life,** **Chapter 29**

**Experimentation**

After the burst of joy about figuring out the clone technique had passed, I frowned, to which the clone seemed confused. Despite succeeding on the surface, I instantly could tell that something was different about her. After all, I'd never heard of a clone that looked different from their creator, as slight as that difference may be - and nor had I seen one that burnt the ground under their feet.

"Kakashi-sensei's water clone didn't drip water everywhere, did it?" I mumbled to myself, the other Sakura eyeing me quizzically.

"What's up?"

"Not sure, exactly." I responded. "I think we need to do a few tests. I need to know everything you can do, and then I can puzzle through exactly what I've done… But before that." I sighed, kneeling and placing my palms on the ground, letting my chakra flow out. With a start, I realised that my stores were far lower than I had realised - creating the clone had taken more MP than I had expected or realised, but… _Not nearly as much as I would have expected a shadow clone to take…_

Regardless, assuming that it would take the same amount of MP to create an earth clone, I had enough, though I likely wouldn't be doing much else immediately afterwards. That was fine, though… the clones could test each other out once I was out. I envisioned an image of myself forming in the ground, and as I pulled the caricature of me out of the ground, I pushed the clone technique through it as I had done before.

**A skill has been created through a special action! Through manipulation of earth, and understanding one's self, the skill 'Steadfast Image - Stone' has been created!**

I glanced over at her as I stood back up. Just like the fire clone, she looked different to me, ever so slightly. Her eyes were a muddy grey, and she lacked some of the liveliness of the other clone, simply choosing to stand straight and look at me impassively once she was born, as if waiting for orders, as the fire clone watched with impatience.

 _They seem to have different personalities… Is that because of how I was feeling when I made them, or down to the elements that they're made of? Perhaps both…_ I let out a breath I hadn't realised I was holding, and the fire clone's head snapped back to me from where she'd been staring at her sister clone.

"Okay… Now that I know I can make an earth and a fire clone, let's move on to what you guys can actually do." I sat down cross-legged, the earth clone immediately following suit, while the fire took a second to do the same, rocking back and forth.

"Are we gonna spar?" She asked excitedly. "I wanna spar! It'll be fun having a sparring partner who's just as strong as me!"

I waited a moment, but the earth clone had nothing to add. After realising that she probably wouldn't speak unless she was spoken to, i moved on, addressing my more talkative doppelganger. "Maybe not _spar_ spar, I'm pretty low on chakra now after making the two of you, but we'll do a little work, even if only to discover what you guys can do…" I sniffled. "And first on that agenda, actually. Can you, uh. Lower your heat, or something? Or just stop burning the grass. It's starting to stink of smoke."

"Huh? Oh!" She jumped up to her feet, seemingly having not noticed the effect she was having on the world. "Uhhhh. Let's see." She closed her eyes, concentrating for a bit, and sure enough, the ground ceased smoking wherever she stood.

"How'd you do it?" I asked, curious.

"Oh, well I assumed I was burning since I'm basically sentient fire chakra, right? So I tried pulling all my chakra into the main pool in the stomach, and it looks like it worked. There's still some flowing through to keep up the appearance and everything, and there was a pool up at my eyes that I could barely pull any chakra from, but it looks like pulling back what I did worked!"

I nodded along, mentally taking notes. _The chakra around the eyes is probably what's causing the eyes to be different. Since the other one has different coloured eyes, it's probably something to do with the method I'm using. Dunno if that's normal for someone who's unused to elemental clone techniques… If it is, I should be able to stop it happening with more experience with the clones. Worse comes to worst, they could always just transform to change their eye colour… Which moves us on to the next point._

"Okay, cool. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's go onto the major details. I assume you both can use techniques of your elements, so we won't bother testing those, but… what else can you do? Can you use other jutsu?"

The clones looked at each other and shrugged, the earth clone displaying its first real show of emotion. I sighed, continuing. "Why don't you try making a Magic Bullet? That should be pretty basic, no?"

They both nodded, and raised their hands to do just that. However, the fire clone just created a Fireball in her hand, while a ball of rock formed in the hand of the other - the earthen equivalent, I quickly reasoned. "Hmm. Interesting…" I stood, placing my hands on the ground, and used the last of my MP to create an earthen wall. I leaned against it, beckoning them forward. "Try and break through this using Vermillion Bird's Beak."

Again, they nodded, and as soon as I moved away, they both tried, and failed, simply scratching the rock with the technique, or rather…

The fire clone attempted again, seemingly getting frustrated and losing her concentration, as the ground began to smoulder again, while the earth clone seemed to come to the same conclusion as I had, as she stepped back, disappointment on her face. "You can stop now." She spoke for the first time, talking to the fire clone.

"NO! I'm almost there, I can feel it! This stupid rock-"

"She's got a point, and you're not going to get anywhere like that. You can't use the technique, so stop trying." Hearing me say it seemingly got through to her, though she growled, kicking the wall in anger. "There's one last thing I want to test, before I go through what I think I've done with the two of you. Both of you, come here."

They obliged, both standing in front of me, my flame clone scowling, and my earthen one impassive. I studied them for a moment, before rearing back and punching my fire clone in the face as hard as I could. As soon as I made contact with her skin, my hand began to burn as if I had tried to punch… well, fire, and she stumbled back, spitting out blood from a split lip, and holding her cheek where a bruise was beginning to form.

"Ow! What the fuck, other me?" I watched the blood she spat, staring as it reformed into a small flame upon leaving her body, before sputtering out. What was perhaps more interesting however, was the fact that her lip was still split, and her cheek was still bruising.

 _Not what I expected, but good to know…_ I turned to the other clone, who already knew what was coming, it seemed. Wasting no time, I punched her as I had the other one. My knuckles split upon making contact with her, as the smallest, tiniest fragment of rock chipped from the impact. She didn't even flinch.

I pulled my hand back, split knuckles already restored. On a whim, I looked at my status, and looked at my skills, and finally everything clicked for me. "Okay. Come on, Fire. Let's talk."

"No way! You're gonna hit me again!"

"Aren't you the one who wanted to spar? ...Anyway, I'm not gonna hit you. I just needed to make the final test. Seriously, let's just talk."

"Well… okay." She cautiously approached, and once she was close enough, I nodded, and decided to continue.

"Okay. So as far as I can tell, from what we've seen today… You two _aren't_ clones, or at least in the way ninja normally understand them." They both seemed surprised by that, but also were willing to hear me out, so I went on. " I've got multiple reasons for thinking that, first and foremost being your eyes. You both have eyes different to mine, and I had initially thought that was due to my inexperience with making you guys, but after thinking about it, that doesn't make much sense.

"The way I made you guys was by forming a medium, saturated by my chakra, and then using that medium and chakra to cast the basic clone technique. And that's the thing - while I wouldn't say I'm a _master_ at the clone, I use it more than like… _everyone_ in our graduation year, _and_ I was already the best at it to begin with. I'm far past the point where I should be making mistakes in my clones - and add The-" Earth coughed, and I instantly became aware of the crowd that was still watching us. Conceding the point, I continued.

"And add our… _special abilities_ into that too, and making mistakes like that shouldn't really be possible. Like, at all. It doesn't make any sense… unless, of course, you're _meant_ to look like that. And you are, because you aren't clones - your skills say as much. You aren't the Fire Clone and Earth Clone, you're the Vision of Ferocity and the Steadfast Image - so of course you don't follow the same rules.

"The second thing that really set me off was the fact that both of you were not only intelligent, but you also seemed to differ in personality, too. I've never heard of _any_ clone that really had a mind of its own, _except_ for the Shadow Clone, and I think that that's part of what makes it unique - which brings me to the third point. Both of you took an inordinate amount of chakra to make."

I gestured over to the pretty much undamaged Earth Style Wall as I spoke. "The two of you and that wall over there took all of the chakra I had to make, which was over half of my total store, and pretty much the baseline that i'd be comfortable fighting with. If you were regular clones, you shouldn't have taken nearly as much - I should know. The cost of casting the Clone and forming the materials I made you with is exponentially lower than what it _actually_ cost to make you, which is why I think you have the properties the two of you do.

"In addition to the intelligence we've already established, you also have the ability to use my techniques. However, I believe you're limited to techniques of your element - but if you try to use a technique that does not normally have one but is compatible with your element, you can use that elemental version, which is what happened with the Bullets you made.

"And finally, probably the most important detail… Underneath looking like me, you're still the elements you're made of. That's why you were burning the ground when you weren't paying attention, Fire - because you _are fire_ , and if you don't take care to not burn things, you just will. And you're so sturdy, Earth, because you're essentially a sentient statue - and that's the final difference.

"We know from experience that clones and shadow clones both disperse upon a single hit, and from what I remember of Kakashi-sensei's fight with Zabuza, water clones seem to do the same. But you guys don't. Fire, you seem to take damage like a regular person - but Earth, you're practically indestructible. I reckon that you're probably more powerful offensively though, Fire." I hastily added, seeing the overeager clone start to get down.

"And that leaves me with my final question. Since it takes more than a single hit, what does it take for you guys to disperse? Other than losing all your chakra, obviously… There's only one real way to figure that out, I think."

Fire's eyes lit up as she caught on to my way of thinking. "Hell yeah! Just you wait, I'm gonna kick your-"

"Oi, oi. You're fighting me, not her." Earth stated calmly. "Or am I wrong, Boss?"

I blinked. _Boss?_ "No, you're right. I want to see your limits, and since I'm fresh out of commission again, you two are the only ones I've got."

"Oh, okay. Well…" Fire grinned at the other clone. "You're no real Sakura, but you can't be _that_ weak. This should still be fun!"

"Yes, I agree." Earth smiled, seemingly feeling more at ease all of a sudden.

 _This should be good._ "Stick around, all of you!" I shouted, grabbing the attention of the crowd that had begun to bore. "The real show's just about to start. 3, 2, 1… begin!"

* * *

The difference between the two clones couldn't be made more clear by how they reacted to the beginning of the match. Fire charged forward, while Earth leapt backwards, calling an Earthen Bolt to her left hand as she palmed and threw three shuriken from her dominant. Fire parried them easily with a kunai, halting her momentum as she did so. This gave Earth the time to fire the attack in her hand, and the time spent by Fire dodging the blast of rock was enough for her to hit the ground, throw her hands up and out, before driving them into the ground in front of her.

The resultant Earth Flow Spears she used were much larger and devastating than any I'd used myself, and even seemed to sprout out of the ground faster. Fire's only option was to go airborne herself, where she spouted a gout of flame down at Earth. The clone frantically rolled out of the way, but still got clipped by the resultant explosion that cleared away her attack, if her smouldering clothes were any indication. Seemingly unperturbed however, she made contact with the ground again, and a pillar of earth rose out of the ground directly beneath her, sending her flying towards my more impulsive clone at breakneck speeds.

Caught off-guard with no way to maneuver in the air, Fire simply grunted, catching the other clone and spinning with her momentum and throwing her back down to earth with a shout. It seemed like Earth had expected that, though, the clone simply slipping straight through the ground instead of slamming into it.

Fire touched down, looking around warily for her counterpart. Quick as a flash, the clone appeared behind her, throwing a punch at my fiery double image, but the other combatant was quick enough to block the hit with her forearm, wincing as she did so. "Holy _fuck_ you're solid, rock bitch!" She disengaged quickly, Earth swiping at her with her other hand, and sending another wave of spikes at her immediately after.

Fire took a glancing blow to her thigh, even as she crushed a Fireball in her hand and fired a countless number of smaller fireballs through the gaps of her fingers. The small incendiaries peppered Earth, singeing her and her clothing, but she pushed through, actually charging at Fire through the attack and nailing the surprised girl with a solid hit to her jaw.

The end of the fight in sight, the eager earth clone went for another punch, her eyes and mine alike widening as Fire used the momentum from the first hit and her naturally recoiling body to flex and bend backwards, the punch sailing over her head. She wasn't done however, punishing the now over-extended earth clone by continuing the bend into a full on flip, sending her foot flying straight into the other clone's chin.

Earth reeled backwards as Fire landed gracefully on her feet, smirking, as I was left wondering if I could do that. I hadn't realised I'd become so flexible… or acrobatic. It just proved how necessary this was - Earth approached the fight similarly to how I normally would, if missing some of my creative flair, but Fire - she was _all_ creativity, and if it gave me more ideas, well…

Fire's eyes narrowed, and her hand reared back, her arm itself catching alight and shining the same colour as her eyes, though seemingly not being burnt by the flames whatsoever. Earth reacted instantly, jumping back as soon as she did so. That was something else I had noticed over the course of the battle - both clones, while limited to each of their elements, seemed to have a much greater mastery and affinity over them than I, resulting in even instinctual moves like what I was looking at now being far more powerful than even my strongest elemental attacks.

After a moment, Earth's eyes widened as she realised she'd been baited. She'd assumed that Fire would attack immediately, but it had been a bluff - and now she was airborne and wide open. Fire's arm flashed forward, a searing hot stream of flame flying forth from her hand. Earth was completely undefended, but then - the barest tip of her sandal brushed the ground beneath her. The contact for less than a second, with less than a toe touching the soil - but it was enough for her to cast a jutsu through, an Earth Style Wall appearing, saving her from the fire.

She immediately hunkered down behind her quickly erected defence, reinforcing it with two more walls cast more traditionally with her hands. I noticed that these were thicker - which was probably down to a multitude of factors, but honestly, I was more amazed that she was able to erect a wall in the first place with so little time and contact, leaving me wondering if I could do the same.

Fire grit her teeth, the flames erupting from her roaring as she poured more chakra into them and they grew in intensity. The walls started to crack and break apart under the intense force and heat, and Earth understood she was fighting a losing battle, clasping and locking her arms together as they turned brown, forming a large, round, rocky shield.

The walls gave way under Fire's unrelenting attack, but the shield formed from Earth's body proved to be made of stronger stuff, holding strong even as it began to glow red-hot - despite ostensibly being made from the same rock. I saw Earth's feet also return to their base earthen state, pinning her to the ground to avoid being pushed back by the inferno. After a few seconds, Fire seemed to get frustrated, cutting off the attack as she charged forward, her other hand beginning to glow. The moment she did this, time seemed to slow to a crawl.

The earth _rippled,_ and a single earthen spear ripped out of the ground at simply blistering speeds. Earth, despite not even being able to see Fire behind her shield and the flames, had counted on the short tempered clone to get irritated at the seeming lack of effect of her attack, and now the clone was about to pay the price.

But as she had the entire fight, Fire, acting on pure instinct - for I simply _knew_ she hadn't seen the spike, or anticipated it, and even if she had, she wasn't fast enough to react to it at the speed it was moving - twisted to the right, listening to her screaming danger sense. If it had been me in her place, maybe she would've won - I could have used a skill she couldn't, or perhaps I was faster - but she wasn't so lucky.

Instead of the spear impaling her through the chest and arresting her movement completely, it instead tore straight through the left side of her body, leaving her with only the right half of her head and chest, and completely tearing through her legs, showering the training ground in a spray of gore-turned-sparks as the blood left her body. Earth's eyes widened, even as the crowd watching gasped, horrified. But the light hadn't left Fire's eyes.

She reared her only remaining limb, still glowing from whatever attack she had originally planned to hit Earth with, and threw her hand forward, sending a violent Fireball full of whatever was left of her chakra at the shocked clone. Surprised as she was at both the damage she'd inadvertently caused, and the fact that the other clone had _survived it_ , at least long enough to attack, Earth was sluggish to defend herself, and so the Fireball hit her straight in the chest, detonating in an explosion that knocked me back with its shockwaves.

The dust cleared, revealing the two clones, both with most of their bodies destroyed. Earth had only her torso and arms left, and even they were turning brown and cracking to dust as the last of her chakra left her body. Fire however looked almost ethereal, her whole body having become fire once again, yet still retaining a humanoid shape and my distinguishing features - at least, those that remained after Earth's final attack.

"Heh." She grinned at her crumbling counterpart. "I'll take a draw." Fire stated, a smug smirk overtaking her face as she faded into the air.

"I'll be better prepared… next time." With those words, my stone visage crumbled, leaving nothing but soil and pebbles in its wake.

I let out a breath that I hadn't realised I was holding, as my first two clones effectively, well… died. Their fight had been… epic, especially considering that well, they were _me. I_ could do all of those things that they did, or I had the potential to, at the very least. I chuckled to myself, as I dusted myself off. They'd given me a lot to think about.

"Touka," I called out lightly, not turning to the crowd as I observed the aftermath of the spar, looking where the ground was torn up, and small fires still burned. "I know you're there."

"Y-Yes, Sakura-sama?" She called out. I frowned at her tone. I hope watching this hadn't scared her… Oh, who am I fooling? Of course it had.

"You know how you marked out my training area before? Mind asking Mikuro-san if it can get expanded to… oh, I don't know, where the fires stop?"


	33. Endgame

**A Life of its Own, Prologue**

**This Game of Life,** **Chapter 30  
**

**Endgame**

The Mikuro that Touka had warned me about on my first day was understandably not very happy with what I had done to the gardens, but Chichiatsu-dono himself stepped in and said that I would receive everything and anything that I required, including space in his estate… though he did privately ask me to please keep the destruction and fire to a minimum, which I was happy to oblige with.

After that mess had been resolved, I retreated back to my room, still thinking intently on the specifics of my clones. After checking their descriptions, it seemed that my assumptions had been correct - that the clones were sentient but were restricted to skills of their own element. However, there was an additional statement in the description that I found interesting - the clone skills stated that I would be able to feel a link of sorts with the clones, enough so that I would be able to tell their general location and know if they were still active or if they had dispersed.

Once I had regained the chakra to create another clone - about an hour - I sent it out, seeing how this link would work in practice, and it was pretty much exactly how it was described - there was a sort of tug on my chakra while the clone remained alive, and if I focused on said tug, it would pull me in a certain direction. Upon the clone's return however, I was disappointed.

The main reason I had wanted to test that part of the technique wasn't out of skepticism - after all, none of my skill descriptions had been wrong before - but rather to see if that tug was mutual. But the fire clone I had made reported no such tug on her chakra, so it looked like only I was connected to them, not the other way around. I had hoped that that wouldn't have been the case - as if my clones had been able to always be aware of my location, it would stand to reason they would be able to detect each other - but it seems that that wouldn't be.

Still, it's not like it was a bad deal. Always being aware of my clone's locations could be incredibly useful. Having finished with that test, we went on with the arguably most important one - how long would this new fire clone last? She'd used minimal amounts of chakra on her short excursion, so it would be a good gauge to see how long they could stick around. From the spar between the first clones, it looked like they could fight a few minutes at full pelt before running out of gas, so how much time did that equate to at rest - or at least, when not doing chakra intensive activities?

* * *

The answer, as it turns out, was about seven hours and eighteen minutes. Given that the clone did use _some_ chakra, no matter how infinitesimal the amount, I was confident in rounding that up to seven and a half hours. What was more concerning however is that if I wanted the clone to pose as me for any significant amount of time, the real time they'd last was, at most, three-quarters of that..

At that point, the clone had begun to lose cohesion, fire peeking out of her skin and clothes, and her extremities becoming more wispy and phantasmagoric. By the time she actually dispersed, she looked like me, but completely made out of fire - which could turn out to be a problem, if my clones struggled to keep my exact appearance when their reserves were low. It was another limitation to keep in mind, that I was also pretty sure that regular clones didn't have.

Once that test was all said and done, I slept. With these clones, any sort of information gathering about Abarai should be much faster, so I wanted to make sure I could create as many as possible for the next day.

* * *

Number 3 nodded to herself, doing her best to keep the instructions straight in her head. Sakura would be mad if she made a mistake, and she didn't want to be the only one to fuck up… She wished she'd been born a Steadfast Image, those bitches could keep everything straight in their heads.

"Then again," she muttered to herself, "I'm only going to exist for a few hours as it is. Better that I actually enjoy myself than be an emotionless stick in the mud for my entire life." She skipped off of a roof, the lack of a developed shinobi pathway forcing her to use more chakra to enhance her speed and jumps to make the gaps. "At least we don't need to shunshin like we thought we might have to…" Having to Body Flicker everywhere would probably tank their effective time to less than an hour.

Sakura had tasked her and Number 1 to try and find Abarai's hideout covertly, while Number 2, 4 and 5 were going to transform and take to the streets and ask questions. They all had permission to engage in combat if needed, but if possible they would retreat and report back to the boss, so she could take care of it and ensure they didn't waste any EXP.

"I suppose we should test and see if she get EXP from our fights… then we wouldn't have to go through the trouble. I should bring that up with her." Although the main Sakura wasn't directly working, she had the free time now to also personally be with Chichiatsu back at the palace, and to train while also making progress. One would thing Number 3 would be annoyed with this arrangement - she'd love to laze around and train, but the boss's training would benefit all of them, so she was fine with her skipping out on recon for it.

Plus, she was pretty much dead on her feet chakra-wise after making three fire and two earth clones. Though she had managed to level up both skills quite a few times even with the small amount of clones she'd made so far, which is why she could even manage the fifth clone. She'd be a liability in the field for at least an hour, and would become useful after two.

Number 3 considered all of this while scanning the streets below her, making brief eye contact with one of the Henged clones below her before racing off in a different direction. This was the issue with them not being able to tell where they were - it lead to overlaps if they weren't totally organised, and even then if one of them veered off course or got distracted, it still threw everything off. Sakura should figure out some way for the clones to communicate with each other. Number 3 would bring that up too.

Number 3 stopped, realising she was reaching the outskirts of the city centre. Sakura had said to remain in the most affluent spots in the city, as Abarai and his men probably spent a lot of time here, as did, most likely, those that he did business with.

"But if he's really got hyorogan like the boss thought… He's in the drug trade, right? Don't dealers normally go for people who don't have much? The rich fuckers'll spend a lot, but they'll stop eventually. It's the poor folk who'll get hooked, and sell everything they've got… Then he bleeds them dry. At least one of us should at least _look,_ right?"

Number 3 nodded to herself, her logic making sense. Ensuring no one saw, she slipped down the wall of the building she was on, throwing on a transformation, and began walking into the outer city.

* * *

For the most part, the outer city wasn't all that much worse off than the inner portion, where all the nobles and businessmen lived. The ones living here were certainly commonfolk, but Number 3 could still see that they were a cut above Konoha's peasantry, and even the ones back in the Land of Fire's capital from what she could remember of the exceedingly short time the boss had spent there. _Damn, that was a month ago. The boss hasn't seen the boys or Sensei in two weeks… Wonder what they're doing right now._

* * *

"Come on, pop!" screamed Naruto at a balloon, ignoring Sasuke's cries as a pack of seemingly rabid dogs chased him up and down the training ground.

"Call them off, you psycho-" His call was cut off by a sharp yelp, as one of the dogs caught his leg in a vice grip.

"Come on, you two. You're going to have to try harder than that. What would Sakura say if she could see you now?" Kakashi-sensei said, seeming uncharacteristically focused. "Again. We'll be here all month at this rate, and we don't have that kind of time if you want to keep your word."

* * *

_Probably slacking off, knowing them. It's fine, the boss'll whip them back into shape when she's home again._ She sighed. _Now's not the time. Focus, me._ Number 3 had taken the form of a nondescript teenager, who was noticeably taller than her real form, though she had attempted to keep most things other than that about her appearance the same.

She was now dressed in beige peasant robes, somewhat based on those she had seen the masses in her home village wear. Her now sandy brown hair threatened to get in her still-orange eyes, and she looked around for any seemingly seedy alleys or backstreets.

"A city like this's gotta have a red-light district, right? Yeah, it definitely does. That's where Akai's place'd be. Is that still open? I know they discussed a refurb, but I don't really remember the details…"

Number 3 exemplified the flaws and strengths of Sakura's unique clones almost perfectly. Despite having her creativity and a knack for thinking outside the box arguably greater than that of Sakura herself, she lacked the original's borderline eidetic memory, and her intelligence, while still impressive, lagged in comparison. The difference in intellect was akin to Sakura as she had been in the Academy compared to where she was now, or perhaps her now and Shikamaru.

However, she made up for that by having her senses and reflexes being honed to the sharpest point that Sakura as she was now could possibly hope for, and that's what saved her life. Even while muttering to herself and not paying attention to her surroundings, she subconsciously was keeping track of everything around her, and so when a knife flashed out from the shadows, she reacted instantly, sidestepping the sloppy thrust, wrapping the outstretched arm with her own, and raising her other elbow above the man's arm, ready to break it at a moment's notice.

"Hey." She grinned at the man, noticing her beginning to recoil from her touch as she began to heat up from excitement. "That wasn't a very good idea. Couldn't have timed it better though, got a few questions for you."

"I won't-"

"If you don't answer, I'll break your arm. If you're still not talking after that, well… I'll have to get creative."

* * *

_Note to boss: get better at torture/interrogation. Breaking a civvie shouldn't have taken 15 minutes._ She was still happy with the results, though. The man hadn't had any connection to Abarai, unfortunately - how lucky _that_ would've been if he had - but he knew where the red-light district was, and he'd told her of a shady-seeming warehouse that he'd seen people coming in and out of at any time of day or night.

"And a few more ryo than he would've gotten nicking me makes sure he keeps his mouth shut. Wish I could've healed him like boss, though… If someone pays him more he'll out me. Then again… who'd know to ask him?" _Question is now… Do I go storm the hideout myself, or report back first? Still got a lot of chakra, so not like I'm burning out any time soon, but if I get killed all of that info goes straight down the drain. ...Though I suppose boss'd at least know_ where _I died, so wouldn't be the end of the world… Yeah, that's convinced me. Let's go._

Number 3 smirked, confident in her ability and sure that the boss would take care of it even if she got caught, and began to head for the red-light district.

* * *

"Sakura-san?"

I blinked, opening my eyes from my meditation/monitoring of my clones' movements. Whatever Number 3 was up to, she better have a good explanation for when she was back. "Yes, what is it, Mitsuki-san?"

"That information you asked for… About Abarai's shipment?"

I turned, looking Mitsuki in the eyes. "Yes, what about it? Have you gotten it?"

She seemed slightly shaken by my sudden intensity, but she nonetheless pushed through it. "Ah, yes. It'll be coming through from the Land of Lightning, in four days time. It'll be received by him, outside of Shintorano-gai then."

"Hmm. How long does it take to get to Shintorano from here?"

"A day by wagon or caravan, two days if you were to walk."

"So it'd take me three hours or so… I'll be generous and give myself six. Thank you, Mitsuki-san. Tell Chichiatsu-dono I'll run a plan by him shortly."

"Of course." She shallowly bowed - though I noted it was deeper than it had been before my little impromptu exhibition yesterday - before leaving.

"Hmm." I thought to myself. "If it's two days by foot, I imagine he'd have left already if he were walking, but he and his goons would probably take a caravan… even then he's probably going to leave today or tomorrow. That gives me two or three days without his direct presence to build a proper case against him… though again, the nail'll be the shipment. Okay, I have an actual timeline now. ...I should go through my equipment, in case I do end up fighting. I can't replenish it, so I should take stock so I know what I'll have left if I use any of it…"

I stood, continuing to mutter to myself and consider plans and possibilities, while I retreated back to my room to prepare, Touka trailing as she normally did.

* * *

_Not as, uh…_ disgusting, _I suppose, as I was expecting._ Number 3 looked up at the smaller buildings and warehouses, the blazing neon signs that lit up the area 24/7, and the disheveled and discreet looking people who even now filled the streets at mid afternoon. _Though they get a lot of people, even at this time of day… maybe that's why._ She muttered under her breath as she trod on some dog shit she had only spotted when it was too late - at least, if she wanted to pass for a civvie.

She briefly considered going to find Akai's place, but dismissed the idea. She didn't know what it was called or where in the red-lights it was - and even if she did, Akai wouldn't know who she was and wouldn't have any reason to help her unless she revealed herself to her, and if she were gonna do that, the boss would've just stormed the city and told them to give up Abarai or else.

_Still… That dude said people went in and out of the warehouse at all times of the day and night, but could I pull off just waltzing in? If I can't, I'd probably have to wait till dark, and my charge wouldn't last that long, not without me going flame-mode and lighting up the place. That'd defeat the purpose…_

_Ugh, but I don't want to just go back! I've spent too long out, boss'd just disperse me once I told her what's up. I could risk it? Not like I look like her right now. If they have a problem, I should be able to get away, and even if they put their guards up, they shouldn't have anything that could catch the boss out if she really has to break into the place…_

_Fuck it. Why not. What are they gonna do?_

Her course of action decided, the clone kept walking, looking for the warehouse the would-be mugger had described to her.

* * *

Where is 3? All the others have come back by now. Most of them didn't find anything, although Number 4 almost had a run in with two thugs, apparently. Maybe I should go and deal with them? No, I can't… what if 3 comes back while I'm out?

"Ugh. I wish my clones and I had like, a hivemind, or something… Then this wouldn't be an issue in the first place. I don't even know if it's safe to train now…" I need to conserve my chakra, just in case Number 3 had come across something important, but urgent.

I sighed. Well, let's go through everything I've got on me again then… Can't do much else right now, other than working strictly on taijutsu. Actually, no, I'd need a post, or a clone for that - bukijutsu then? I suppose so, but I don't use shuriken and kunai that much as it is, and eventually I'll run out besides. Maybe not that good an investment. ...Could I nick a katana off the samurai? ...Nah. I've antagonised them quite a bit already… I need to tread carefully. At least until I'm sure if it came to it, I'd be able to take Toyohisa, and I'm a long way from that.

I blinked. Focus, Sakura. You're meant to be taking stock of your equipment. Going on tangents like that… That's probably what Number 3 did. If she's just lost, or sightseeing or something, I'm gonna be pissed. Anyway… I upended my equipment pouch, and what I had originally packed for the mission again for the sixth time today. The idea had struck me that maybe I could use my clones to replenish my equipment, but that didn't work - the kunai and shuriken just faded away with the clone, unless I specifically pumped chakra into it for it to keep its form.

And if I was gonna do that, why not just make them on the fly instead. It was a real shame, though. I'd be able to make the basics if I really wanted them, but stuff like flash bombs would probably be beyond me, so what I've got here would be all I'd have for these three years. ...Though maybe I could make a flash bomb skill? And a smoke one? Thoughts for later.

I sorted the equipment in front of me again, putting them in neat piles organised by function. Five braces of ten shuriken, 20 kunai, a roll of ten explosive tags, 5 bomb balls, 5 smoke bombs, 3 flash bombs, 2 chilli pepper bombs, one standard-grade hyorogan (to be honest, the genin-grade stuff is still enough to fill me up, embarrassingly, but Kakashi-sensei wanted some for the boys, and got me one as well), and… this.

I picked up the folded up windmill shuriken, looking at it quizzically again for not the first time. I know why I had this - because I had seen Sasuke-kun with it once, and back then anything he had or did I had to do or have the same - but honestly, I didn't know the first thing to do with it. I'd packed the thing out of habit every mission, but I never even thought about it.

"I don't even remember how you're meant to flick it out so its an actual shuriken instead of some weird sword." I lifted it above my head, looking for some sort of latch, or mechanism, and upon finding none, I sighed and put it back down. "I'll figure it out at some point."

* * *

Number 3 really needed to think things through a bit more.

 _ **Obviously**_ _I need money, I was walking into a fucking drug house for fuck's sake! How did I not think of that? Am I a complete idiot._ She couldn't help but think she was, because only an idiot would find themselves in a position like the one she was in now.

 _Oh yeah, trust the dude who says 'No money? It's fine, you can pay another way,'. Think about where you are. It's obvious what he wants!_ She'd been left by what seemed to be the 'head thug', if you will, in a bedroom, and been told to make herself comfortable, and he would be back in a second. _Yeah, right. As if I'm waiting for you. ...Though…_

She remembered being told in the kunoichi seduction classes that a man's lips were loosest in two situations: after a few good drinks, or when he was with a woman. The implication was not lost on the clone, and nor was the old adage that, while being coined during the Warring States era, had never really gone out of fashion, even if it was never really said out loud anymore:

_If you're old enough to end life, you're old enough to start it._

Number 3 seriously considered the pros and cons of sleeping with this man in the interest of the mission. _It's not like it'd matter. It's my… first go, and all that, but I'm just a clone! And if I don't tell the boss, she won't ever find out. She'd still be a virgin, and all that,and it'd be an almost surefire way of getting what we want without having to hurt anyone…_

The thug that brought her up to the room re-entered, dressed in naught but a robe. The man wasn't the worst looking she'd ever seen, but he was definitely ugly - was it just her, or was like… every boy (and girl, thinking of it) she knew back in Konoha blessed in the looks department or something compared to the people here? Even Choji was cute in his way, and she bet he'd be hot if Aya ever managed to get him to lose weight…

She was stalling. She knew it, and so did the thug, though he smiled. It was probably meant to be disarming, but his two missing front teeth just made him look uglier. He began to approach her. Number 3 had no time left. She needed to make a decision.

She bit her lip.

* * *

"Hey, sorry I'm late, Boss."

I blinked, whirling around. There was Number 3, finally. She was beginning to break down now, and she looked somewhat disheveled - probably realised her time was almost up and began rushing back. "Where've you been? The others were back hours ago."

"I uh… got held up."

"By what?"

"Infiltrated their warehouse." I blinked, before processing what she had just said. I felt anger beginning to- "Don't get mad, they had no idea I was there. Or, rather… They had no idea who I was, at least. Or what we can do. I got a ton of info, though. Where the warehouse is, obviously, but I also got the location of their main hideout, and their general business strategy."

I deflated, anger completely vanishing in the face of that statement. "Oh. That's, uh… Really impressive. The others didn't manage to find anything."

The clone smirked. "Just shows I'm better, doesn't it!" Her joviality quickly faded, becoming more subdued once again. Wasn't she a fire clone? I'd expect her to be bragging all about how she got the info. "But yeah, I got what they're doing. They're in the drug trade. Got a few warehouses scattered around the city, plus a few businesses as fronts in the city centre. The reason why the samurai haven't found anything is probably down to those."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, as I understand it, the fronts are legitimate businesses, and Abarai makes sure to put his more prominent and visible crew members at the helm of each. They do sell from those fronts, but only to trusted customers one of the gang's higher-ups personally endorses. The only way to get some from one of those places is if you went undercover, and good luck to a samurai trying that."

"Right, but surely there's more to it than that?"

"Getting there." The clone sighed out, sitting down at the table with me. "The warehouses are open to the public, and they sell out of those. That's the main bulk of the operation. Plus I'm pretty sure they put feelers out on the streets too, but I can't confirm that."

"If that's the case, then-"

"It's cos all the warehouses are in places the samurai wouldn't be caught dead in. You know how _honourable_ they are, and all that. And nothing against Chichiatsu, but I'm certain he doesn't know all of the things happening in the centre of the city, let alone in the outskirts where this is happening."

I leaned back, taking it all in. "Okay. Do you have any proof? Did you pick up any of the drugs or anything?"

"No, I couldn't. Too heavily guarded. I did hear about the shipment coming in, though. It's meant to be, and I quote, 'the good ninja shit'. Looks like you were right. And I was able to confirm they have had at least one shipment of hyorogan before this, too."

"Hmm." I thought. "Mitsuki-san gave me the details of the shipment earlier today. It's coming in from the Land of Lightning."

Number 3 blinked at me. "You think someone from Kumo's sending them soldier pill? Why would they do that?"

"Not a clue, and we don't need to find out about that, either. Kumo's problems can remain theirs, thank you very much. I'm more concerned about what's being sent. Soldier pill is pretty expensive, and not just anyone can get their hands on it, especially in the amount I'm assuming they're getting. If not for Kakashi-sensei, we couldn't have even gotten the one we have."

"Okay, but what's the problem? I don't get it."

"Well, what's stopping them from sending the guys weapons next time? If they're hopped up on hyorogan, throwing around flash bombs and explosive tags, and swinging kunai around… Well, maybe they could take over the city from the samurai."

Horrid realisation crept onto the clone's face. "And Abarai becomes daimyo. You think that's the plan?" She asked, eyes wide.

"Maybe. I don't know, we'll have to check their hideout and see what's there. Hopefully I'm just overthinking this… But if I'm not, we have to be prepared."

"For… what, exactly?"

"To kill every last one of them."

* * *

With Number 3 back, and now dispersed, I was free to spend the rest of the day doing whatever came to mind. I briefly thought about updating Chichiatsu-dono - I had told Mitsuki I would tell him what my plan was - but decided against it, at least for today. I didn't want him sending his men and interfering in an attempt to be helpful.

So instead, I went outside, spawning an earth clone and flying towards it with a flurry of punches and kicks. As I let my instincts and training take over, I thought on the information that Number 3 had chanced upon. The implications were big, if Kumo truly were supplying these guys. Considering how far they had spread - in the capital, no less - right under Chichiatsu-dono and Toyohisa's nose, who could say what the other towns were like. It's no wonder Kumo were getting in with a group who might very well have taken over the country eventually anyway…

Perhaps that was the whole point. Kumo didn't want to get involved directly, for fear of retaliation from us, since we were allies with Swamp. If Swamp brought us in and then claimed that Kumo had been trying to invade, or something… Well, that could escalate very quickly. For all they know, it could kick off the Fourth Great Shinobi War, and for what? A relatively rich country that still had no chakra practitioners to speak of? Not at all worth it.

No, it was better to just sneak help to a faction growing inside the country, and then when that faction took over, they'd be their foremost allies. The new leadership of Swamp would leave Konoha in the dust along with the old leadership of the country. And if the faction they backed ended up being put down? Well, they would just quietly wash their hands of it, and act as if nothing ever happened. It was a smart plan, and had a lot of benefit with barely any risk.

I need to ask Chichiatsu-dono if he had any messenger hawks or anything like that that I could send a message to Hokage-sama with. Even if I'm overthinking it, he needs to know that _someone_ in the Land of Lightning is supplying ninja equipment to civilian gangs in one of our allied countries. It's cause for alarm.

I marvelled at Number 3. How had she gotten so much info? I had thought she'd come back with something, considering how long she was gone, but this exceeded my expectations completely. She'd really done excellent work. Some part of me felt weird about praising what was well, _me_ as if they were a completely different person, but honestly, my clones kind of were. None of them acted exactly like I would, and even ones of the same element acted different, though at least they were similar.

Thinking of, though… She was acting a bit strange when she came back. She seemed… withdrawn? Ashamed, maybe? She might've had to kill someone she didn't want to or something… No, she said they didn't know what she was. So she can't have killed one, or they definitely would have known… Actually, the way she said that means that they probably saw her and didn't kill her.

Oh well. She's gone now, I'll probably never find out exactly what it was she did. Whatever it was, though, it definitely works. I wish she'd told me! I'd do it a ton more if I knew.

* * *

I didn't sleep that evening, though I didn't spend it all training either. I spent about half the night planning my infiltration of the thug's main hideout, and making a general outline about what I wanted to do about the shipment. The revelations about how much of the city was under the gang's control without Chichiatsu-dono realising made me think that Shintorano-gai was probably under their control as well, and so even getting into the city might be a challenge. I was sure I'd manage it, though.

After figuring out a solid plan to the infiltration, and deciding on a time, I went back to training, continuing past breakfast and into the afternoon. I'd decided beforehand that I wouldn't train or use any chakra for at least six hours before it was go time. I wanted to be in peak condition, as I probably wouldn't get a second chance at this - there were only three more days until the shipment, and Abarai was smart - once he heard about what 3 did, whatever it was, he'd probably realise that someone was onto him and go to ground, and who knows if he'd show his face again before I left?

I landed a solid punch on the face of my earth clone training partner, who decided she'd had enough punishment, crumbling away with the impact. Drenched in sweat, having forgone my scarf and dress as I had done a couple of days ago when I created the clones, I sighed, wishing the peanut gallery would stop watching me train. _They'll get used to it eventually, I suppose,_ I thought as I opened my status screen.

**Name: Haruno Sakura  
Class: The Gamer  
Level: LV 13  
HP: 134/420  
MP: 27/330  
STR: 18  
VIT: 21  
DEX: 16  
INT: 58  
WIS: 33  
LUK: 10  
Points: 0**

The earth clones were brilliant for building up my STR and VIT, as they can really take a hit and dish one out too, and it was really straining for me to physically compete, though they didn't really cause me to exercise a lot of my speed. The fire clones would be better for that, I thought, especially if and when I tried to replicate the instinctive feats of flexibility and acrobatics they were prone to performing. They were excellent training partners, and since they'd grow stronger along with me, I really couldn't ask for better.

That said, the sun was starting its fall. In an hour or so it'd set, and a few hours after that, the night would be its darkest. The time would come then.

* * *

I raced across the rooftops, trusting that the darkness and my dark clothing would be enough along with the speed I was travelling to make me practically invisible to civilian eyes. I made a beeline straight for the red-light district that Number 3 had told me about, and from there her more specific directions began to take shape and make more sense.

The building I found myself staring at from the opposite rooftop didn't look like much, actually looking pretty much like how she had described the warehouses. The difference was clear though - even now, somewhere between midnight and one in the morning, they had guards posted outside. Shit ones, seeing as one was asleep, and one was either high on their stash or blind drunk, but still. It's not like it mattered, anyway. The real sentries were in the outward facing windows and on the roof, and they were far more alert. For a moment, I thought one had even spotted me.

_Dumbass, these guys have soldier pills! Even if they don't know how to use it, they've got chakra, so they aren't normal civvies._

The best way in would probably be the roof, but there were three sentries. Could I take them out before they raised the alarm? I couldn't make a clone, that'd require either dropping to ground level or spewing out flames, both of which they'd see… Same with trying to hit them with a Magic Bullet from here. Kunai might work, but they'd potentially hear it flying at them, and if they moved at all the jig was up. No, I had to do it close-range, that was the only way that was quick enough.

I circled around the building, keeping my distance until I would be coming from the back. I slowly got as close as I possibly could. The nerves would have gotten to me, but the Gamer's Mind kept me calm. I palmed a kunai in preparation, and made sure to turn on my buffs.

Without warning, I silently Lunged at the nearest one, using the Body Flicker at the same time to cross the distance instantaneously. My kunai was buried deep in his throat before he could register that anything was going on, and even as he gurgled and choked on it, my head whipped towards another of the three.

He had been looking my way by pure chance, but hadn't reacted yet - hadn't had the chance. I saw the fear mar his face, but before he could do anything, my eyes flashed and his glazed over, trapped in an genjutsu based on his deepest fears. I leapt at the last sentry, hands wrapping around his throat as he opened his mouth to cry out, and all he was able to let out was a strangled gasp as I crushed his windpipe.

I pulled my bloody kunai out of the corpse of the first man, and slashed the throat of the second while he was still trapped in my Demonic Illusion. I let out a shaky breath I hadn't realised I was holding, and sighed. The easiest bit was over. Now it was time to-

**Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one!**

_What?_ I checked my status, and sure enough, i was now level fifteen. How had I gained so much experience? They were only level 7 and 8, I'd sparred against much higher level people and never gotten so-

I stopped, and thought about it, and suddenly it made sense. I'd sparred against higher level opponents, and defeated them in real combat too, in one case, but before today the only ones I'd actually _killed_ had been those level 1 and 2 bandits on the journey up here. It made a sick sort of sense that I'd get more for killing an opponent than just defeating them or sparring, but I wasn't sure if I liked it. In a way, it was encouraging me to kill as many people as possible. I had nothing against killing when necessary, but…

 _Now's not the time, idiot. You've got a hideout to infiltrate._ "Shannaro," I whispered to myself, moving the bodies to the corner and wiping my bloodied knife on one of their clothes. "Now… How do I get in from here?" An idea struck me, and I looked more closely at the bodies I'd just moved away.

* * *

I was very glad that Observing a dead body still gave me their name. I'd transformed into one of the sentries above, named Obatsunai Sora, and had entered the hideout using his likeness. Looking around though, I was surprised at the lack of people milling around, considering both the size of the building and the amount of security they had.

"Tsun!" I started, turning. I was the only one in the corridor, so they must've been speaking to me. Why couldn't Observe tell me nicknames as well? "The hell're you doing down here, boy! I told the lot of ya to stay up there all night! Y'all got a full one of the pills, don't give me any shit about bein' tired or hungry!"

I Observed the man stood in front of me.

**Flash in the Pan, Spark in the Marsh  
LV 9  
Abarai Okudera**

He was dark-skinned like Abarai, though he had fiery red hair like Chichiatsu-dono, cropped short to his head. He was obviously related to Abarai, or Honda, I suppose I should call him now, and they seemed similar in age… a brother, or a cousin, probably. He was dressed far differently, though - Honda had looked decidedly classy when I first met him, at least compared to this. He was wearing a green robe over a dark t-shirt and pants, and had an expensive - and obviously stolen - sword strapped to his side.

I didn't know how Sora - or Tsun, I guess - acted, so I decided to wing it. "Hehe, sorry boss," I said, rubbing the back of my head sheepishly. "I just really need'a piss. Y'know how those things get you."

I instantly was able to tell that I hadn't done a perfect job of recreating the man's speech or mannerisms - as if I had a chance, I hadn't seen or heard him speak - but I also immediately knew that this man wouldn't call me on it. He lacked the spark his… I'll say brother, for now, had. I could see it in his eyes - he was a far more simple person than his brother, and that's probably why he was in charge here - it was all he was trusted with.

"Yeah? Well get a fuckin' move on. You know Honda don't want them samurai findin' out about this place, especially right before a shipment. He's almost got the daimyo on his payroll, and I'm not gonna let your tiny piece of shit fucking bladder ruin that for him. The hell are you still doing here? Fuck off and piss and get back to fucking work!"

I obeyed without further comment, darting away in the opposite direction that he had come. Interesting that Honda was paranoid about being caught… had he caught on to me, even during that brief meeting? ...Even if he did, his paranoia made things harder, but it still wasn't like I couldn't do anything about it. I dipped into one of the rooms along the corridor, waiting until I heard Okudera's footsteps recede.

I looked back out of the corridor, back the way I and Okudera had come. Whatever I was looking for would probably be back there.

I left the corner I had hidden in, deciding to drop the transformation entirely - I wouldn't be able to fool them if I were caught anyway, and if any of them were smarter or more paranoid than Okudera, the jig would be up. Better to just forgo it entirely and focus on stealth.

 _Easier said than done though, considering it's relatively well lit in here…_ Still, I couldn't hear anyone - so I dashed down the corridor as fast as I could while still remaining silent. Halfway down, I heard a noise behind me, and I whipped around, kunai already drawn to silence whoever had seen me.

Luckily I held my fire until actually seeing my target, and I didn't end up burying a knife into a creaky door that, while ajar, had only opened by itself and giving myself away. I let out a breath, and continued on my journey.

Not for the first time, I marvelled at what the Gamer's Mind could do for me - considering how jumpy I was already, if I didn't have it available I'm sure the nerves would've broken me. I probably would still be panicking outside…

I found myself at a large office, the door to which had been left wide open. Okudera really was excessively careless. Though, to be fair, he probably thought he'd have to worry about threats outside, not in. Too bad for them that Chichiatsu-dono has me now.

Entering quickly, I rifled through the drawers on the massive desk that was the centrepiece of the room, as well as scanning the desktop for anything that seemed important - notes, documents, letters - if only there had been some of the drugs in here, then I probably wouldn't even have to worry about the shipment.

Unfortunately though, I couldn't find any. Either I'd need something off the shipment, or I'd have to tell Chichiatsu-dono and he could get the samurai to raid. ...Maybe I should do that anyway, have them raid while I deal with the shipment… then we don't have to worry about one group hearing about the other and running.

In my haste, I made more noise than I should've - and the enhanced thugs heard me. I heard muffled shouting coming from below me and further down the corridor, and I knew my time was up. I grabbed everything I had found tightly, and leapt out of a window, speeding off into the night.

* * *

Them discovering me wasn't exactly the plan, and it might jeopardise the idea I'd had about the simultaneous raids, but at the very least, even if they sent a message to Honda, he wouldn't get it in time to change his plans. The samurai should be able to clean up back here, so it probably won't be an issue? I hope not.

I clutched the papers and documents I'd managed to grab tightly, making sure that not a single one left my grasp. I hadn't gotten a chance to read them yet… it'd suck if these were worthless, but they must've been hiding _something_ in there, right? Why else would they be guarding it so heavily?

...Eh. If I really did miss anything, the samurai should be able to find it… and at this point, I doubt the documents are necessary, either. All I need is a sample of the shipment.

* * *

I spent the majority of the next two days speaking to Chichistsu-dono, Mitsuki and Toyohisa about my findings and conclusions about the gang, and the course of action I'd thought best considering them. Chichiatsu-dono was completely for my ideas, while Toyohisa seemed to oppose them out of principle. Thankfully, Mitsuki was there as a mediator and a third voice who was making her decision on what she actually thought was best, not on how much she liked me.

It was decided that I would go deal with the shipment alone, as I had assumed I would be doing. By the time everything was cleared up and general plans were being drafted, it would be too late to even send out a caravan - it would only reach Shintorano-gai if they left immediately, and add the time needed to sort out a platoon to send and the caravan itself? It wasn't feasible.

I however could get there with time to spare, and since the only reason they were confident enough to move at all was because of me, I was (begrudgingly, in one case) considered competent enough to deal with closing it out myself too. Instead, the entirety of the samurai force in the city would be focused on the various points of interest Number 3 had discovered for us, and would be tasked with flushing out the gang's presence in the city.

Then, once I had dealt with Honda and the samurai with Okudera, there would be a public trial for both - for which we would need proof of their wrongdoing. I would bring samples from the shipment, and the samurai whatever they could find in the raids - that along with the stolen documents would be more than enough to make it an open-and-shut case.

For the sake of the trial, I was asked to avoid killing Honda if possible, which I was happy to oblige with - though I warned them that if it would be harmful for me to let him live, I'd put him down, which they all were fine with.

The final stage of the plan was simple - after the trial, there would be an expanding patrol, first focused on the cities surrounding the capital, and eventually spreading to the borders of the country, to flush out any pockets of the gang left in other locations. That was all up to the samurai, but I'm sure they could handle it. Even without chakra, they were a lot stronger than the drug-abusing thugs.

During all this discussion, I asked Chichiatsu-dono if he had any ways of sending messages across country borders, and as I'd hoped, he had two messenger hawks. While the exact details of the samurai platoons and where they would be placed and all that was being decided, I quietly slipped away, writing a message and sending it off to the Leaf. I hope Kumo's potential involvement doesn't mean I'll have to come home...

Once all that had been settled - which required a whole day - it was finally time for me to go. I packed as if I were leaving for a standard in-and-out C-rank, and left for Shintorano before first light.

* * *

I left way earlier than J needed to, and the city came into view while the first cracks of dawn were creeping in to the sky. Good. That gave me time to rest up a bit before I would have to confront Honda.

I slipped down from the trees, beginning to walk along the path like any normal civilian. Looking at Shintorano again, I felt disappointed - it wasn't really like how I imagined, more like a town than a city. Although the mountains of the Land of Lightning in the distance did give it a pretty cool backdrop…

The gates to the city- town- _whatever_ it was technically classed as (was Konoha technically a city despite being called a village?) were wide open, reminding me of home, though the gate guards here seemed much more alert, and had visible blades rather than seeming unarmed like the chunin back home did.

That, of course, made them far less intimidating.

Even without knowing their levels, I was sure I could easily take care of both these men easily, but that wasn't what I was here for, was it? ...Though if Chichiatsu-dono asks me to whip some of his men into shape at some point, I won't say no. I approached the two stern looking men smiling widely, almost skipping along the path as I drew near.

"Halt!" One barked once I was two arm's lengths away from him. "What's your purpose here in Shintorano?"

My smile turned into a grin, as I simply reached around my back for my bag, opened it up, and pulled out the missive Chichiatsu-dono had signed for me. I handed it to the man as my response, and his eyes widened in shock as he saw the official seal.

He looked up at me, then down at the missive, at me, and the missive once again, before handing it back to me, hands shaky. I took it back and returned it to my bag, as he saluted me, hand as straight as a knife edge placed at his forehead. "W-Welcome, shinobi-san! What can we-"

As his partner looked to him in awe, I simply put my finger to my lips and shushed him, whispering "What you can do is let me in, be quiet, and forget you ever saw me. I'll be gone before the day is out."

The man nodded nervously, before looking at his partner, who gulped in response, and they simultaneously moved out of my way as I entered Shintorano Quarters.

* * *

Technically, the place where I would confront Honda and his goons wouldn't actually be in Shintorano, but I needed to be in the place all the same - I wouldn't know where the shipment would be coming exactly without finding one or all of them to follow to it.

Luckily, that wasn't hard - as simple as entering every hotel, showing off that missive, and simply asking if Honda or any of his more prominent goons were currently staying with them. I struck gold on my third hotel, where Honda himself and a few other goons were staying. I thanked the check-in clerk, picked up a magazine, sat down in the lobby, and began to wait.

* * *

It took a good four hours, but Honda and his men had finally decided to show up. I hadn't just spent the time waiting, though - as time dragged on and my chakra replenished, I made clones in preparation for the inevitable fight. I made two, one earth and one fire, and would have made another had Honda not shown his face when he did.

As he walked out into the lobby, flanked by six other men, I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. He looked no different than he did when we had first met. I caught his eye, and his nose crinkled, slightly. I was immediately ready to fight, but whatever recognition or feeling struck him wasn't strong enough to cause him to act, as he quickly flicked his gaze back in front of him and continued as if he had never seen me.

I let them go for five minutes, feeling my clones following them as I did, before I closed the magazine and disappeared from the lobby.

* * *

"What've they done so far?"

"Just talk, really. I think they're waiting for something."

"Maybe they don't know where they're picking up the shipment from yet, eh Boss?"

I shook my head at the fire clone's idea. "No, that doesn't really make sense. They've gotten stuff from this guy before - they're all been on hyorogan; still are, even. They're probably waiting for something else." If this were any other country, I'd be worried that they were waiting for some sort of ninja bodyguard, but that'd be impossible. Swamp simply doesn't have the kind of issues in the right frequency needed to support even a low-ranked missing nin, let alone village ninja. "They're probably just waiting for more thugs."

The earth clone spotted something in the distance. "Yeah, looks like you're right. Group of ten coming from the west."

"I see eight from the east." Added the fire clone.

"And I've got another six coming in, too… that's 31 in total with the original seven. A lot, but doable, especially if we use our equipment right…"

"They're on the move."

"Yeah. Come on."

* * *

We watched silently from the trees, as a wagon pulled up to the group of men slowly outside of the town. I quickly Observed the one driving it, but he was only level 1 - he seemed oblivious to what was really going on. "Got this for an 'Abarai-sama', ah? Which one of yous izzat?"

Honda nodded, calmly stepping forth and talking quietly with the man. After a few minutes of discussion, the man handed the crime lord two boxes, before smiling, hopping back into his wagon, and going off into Shintorano proper.

"Alright, it's time. You know the drill."

I leapt down from the trees, my clones remaining hidden for now, waiting for a signal. I cleared my throat, gathering the attention of the assorted men. "I'm going to have to ask all of you to stand down and come with me."

The men looked at each other, and most began to laugh, however Honda remained serious. "I thought I recognised you. That cheeky brat… since when did he have ninja on his payroll?"

His last statement caught his men's attention, effectively silencing them all as they looked at me again, reassessing the assumptions they had made earlier. "since he hired me to be his bodyguard for the next three years. Seeing as you know what shinobi are capable of, I assume you're going to surrender now?"

"Hmm." He casually reached into his pocket, placing a cigarette in his mouth and lighting it, before taking a drag. "Well, I also know enough about ninja to know that you're not old enough to be any higher than a mid-level one. I forget the name exactly. And I also know that you get your power from your… chakra, isn't it? Correct me if I'm wrong, little flower."

He took another drag, before continuing. "And I also know that our new favourite drug charges us up with chakra. And there are thirty of us, and only one of you. I'm not stupid enough to believe you have a chance of taking us all on."

"Chakra in and of itself won't make you _that_ much stronger. Not if you don't know how to use it."

"Mm. True enough." His men began to circle around and surround me, and I let them. "But if you're only mid-level… then you don't know how to use it as well as you could either, right?"

I smiled, closing my eyes. "I know enough." My hand went into my weapons pouch, and I grabbed something, chucking it over and behind my head. The flash bomb went off almost immediately, blinding the men instantly. As they begun to shriek in pain, I Lunged forward as my clones dropped down from the trees, kunai in hand.

Five men were dead in seconds. My knife pierced through the liver and guts of the thug closest to me, and as I ripped through the man's side to get it out, I threw the kunai at another's throat in one fluid motion. Beside me, a brace of shuriken thrown by one clone took out another, injuring two more, and a large spike of earth behind us killed another two.

By this point, their eyes had begun to recover, and as the men started to take stock of the situation they were in, I could sense the fear starting to take hold. I blasted my Killing Intent at all of them, and the weaker ones among them - two level fours - dropped their weapons and tried to run.

**'Evoke Fear' has increased in level by one! 'Killing Intent' has increased in level by one! 'Killing Intent has increased in level by one!**

Two kunai to the backs of their heads from my earth clone put a stop to that, and my fire clone and I reared our heads back as one, releasing two Flamethrowers which combined into a huge conflagration, incinerating the two that she had injured before, as well as four more.

Thirteen of them were dead before they even had begun to react, and I could see Honda's jaw go slack as he realised just how badly he had underestimated me and overestimated his men. Still, and despite my still active Killing Intent, a few of the men raised their knives and swords, charging us. If nothing else, I respect their resolve.

I twisted out of the way of a stab, leaping up as I did and twirling in the air and kicking my attacker's face with a Power Strike containing all of the momentum from my spin. His head jerked to the side with an audible crack, and I winced, another one stepping over his fallen body and slashing at me across the waist with a nodachi.

I took a leaf out of my first ever fire clone's book, flipping over backwards and allowing the blade to pass over me before I completed the somersault, smashing my feet into his chin just as my clone did, sending him flying.

**A skill has been created through a special action! Through acrobatic maneuvers, the skill 'Flash Kick' has been created!**

I landed back on my feet, Lunging at the man and running him through with a sword I created with Variable Blade. I whirled around, blocking against the clumsy slash of another thug, before I used my free hand to fire a Magic Bullet that blew a hole in his stomach.

He staggered backwards, before his head suddenly fell off his body. I looked up in surprise, seeing my fire clone in the air with her leg outstretched, a flaming blade extending straight out from her foot. _Interesting..._ I thought, modifying the Variable Blade I was already helping so that instead it simply emanated straight from my fingers.

I Lunged at another thug, swiping my hand at his throat, and watched as his neck split open with no resistance, leaking blood everywhere. _Very interesting. I'll have to thank the clone… speaking of, I think they're almost done._

Sure enough, the group that had numbered 31 people perhaps a minute ago was now down to six, including Honda, and while my clones were seemingly choosing to spare the man in question, his friends weren't so lucky.

Two were down before I even got a chance to get over to them, and by the time I grabbed one around the neck and I caused a Variable Blade to sprout from my palm, severing his spine and spraying me with hot, sticky blood, the other three were too. I sighed, releasing the corpse and stopping my Killing Intent. That had went far better than expected. I hadn't even needed to use genjutsu like I had on the roof.

**Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one!**

"So…" I coughed, causing Honda's defeated eyes to turn to me. "You thought about coming peacefully yet?"

* * *

It was late afternoon by the time we arrived back in the capital. I'd actually done my part of the mission so fast that the raids were still ongoing when I got back to the palace, with Honda and his shipment in tow, though reports had stated that Okudera had been killed in combat by Toyohisa himself.

Hearing that seemed to be the last straw for Honda, as he collapsed onto his knees, the confident adversary I'd seen in him seemingly gone entirely at the news of his entire empire crashing down around him. A samurai platoon stationed to protect Chichiatsu-dono in both my and Toyohisa's absence took him and the recovered drugs from me and my clones, and at Chichiatsu-dono's leave, I retreated to my room to take a nice long bath, a warm feeling in my chest at a mission well done.

* * *

"Sakura-sama?" A muffled voice came through the door, interrupting my little relaxation session.

"What is it, Touka?"

"A message came for you."

"Tell Chichi-"

"It's from the Leaf, Sakura-sama."

I sighed. "I'll be out in a second." I begrudgingly stepped out of the bath, and after a moment's hesitation, pulled the plug and let the water drain, knowing that it'd be cold by the time I came to it anyway.

I wrapped my hair in a towel, before flashing my body with fire chakra to instantly dry myself and throwing on a fresh undershirt and pair of pants. My dress was covered in blood, and from today as well as the journey to Swamp, the stains would probably mean I'd have to retire it… A shame. Luckily my scarf was from a ninja outfitter, though. I could wash the blood out of that.

I stepped out of the bathroom, still steaming slightly from the excess heat of the fire chakra, calmly going over to Touka and taking the message from her. "Thank you, Touka. You can go now, I won't need you today."

She bowed deeply, leaving my room without another word, shutting the door behind her. I waited for her footsteps to fade, before I broke the familiar seal, and unfurled the small scroll in my hands.

_Sakura,_

_Thank you for your message. It warms my heart and eases my mind to see that even young shinobi like yourself understand when they are in over their head, and need assistance from the village. When the time finally comes for me to rest, I feel assured that you and your peers will guide my successor well - whether that successor is a certain young man we both know or not._

I smiled softly, an image of an older Naruto in the Sandaime's robes - a vision I fully believe will come true, eventually - coming to mind, before I continued.

_The potential hand of Cloud and the Raikage in what you have described is both alarming and feasible, which only increases my worry, and if you are correct, we must take action. To that end, I will be sending out a team to investigate the situation. However, that will not be their only mission - they will also be there to relieve you, and to send you home._

_I understand that you may be upset by this decision, however simply put, there is no other choice. It was already questionable that you were on this mission in the first place, given your age and rank -_ especially _considering that I did not sanction it beforehand. However, I was willing to accept it, given two things - the first being that the Fire Daimyo himself asked me to allow it, and the second being that Swamp has never had any recorded shinobi activity in its entire history._

_Now that you have brought up the very real possibility that Kumo has a real, vested interest in the country, I cannot allow you to continue this mission in its current state, and risk the Raikage send a team of his own, and cut a talented young shinobi's life short._

_Don't worry, though. Naruto-kun and the others miss you immensely, and I am sure that you would prefer to spend the next three years with them anyway. This is for the best. Your involvement in the mission will be classed as A-rank, and you'll be paid in accordance with that._

_The team will be sent upon the completion of the Chunin Exam finals, which is in two weeks. You will return to Konoha then._

_Regards,_

_Sarutobi Hiruzen_

I wound the scroll closed, falling back into my bed as I considered it. I wanted to feel disappointed, or angry, but I couldn't. I agreed with the Hokage, despite how much I didn't like it, and I knew he was right. It didn't make any sense for me to stay if enemy nin possibly could turn up - I wouldn't be fighting genin. They'd all probably be as strong as Kurotsuchi, and I couldn't handle that by myself.

I rolled onto my side. "Two weeks, huh… I should make the most of it."

* * *

Those two weeks passed by in a flash.

As I promised, the next day I went straight to Toyohisa and his samurai, and demanded to train with them. My extra levels and potential stats emboldened me, as did the fact that I wouldn't be here much longer, and I refused to take no for an answer.

Eventually, they obliged, and Toyohisa himself decided to be my sparring partner. He of course tore me apart the first ten times, but I rapidly improved as I normally do, and he outright gasped in shock as I managed to block his first strike before the end of the first day of training.

The sparring with the samurai was incredibly taxing physically, and after that first day, i rejiggled my training schedule to fully take advantage of that while I could, pushing myself to the limit with them while I focused on jutsu training with my clones and studying in an attempt to increase my INT and WIS when completely spent on MP.

I barely slept the entire time, and to my surprise, I started feeling the effects of it about four days in, feeling noticeably more lethargic and weak. After a quick check of my status, I saw that I had the 'Drained' status effect, but after I slept, it disappeared, signifying that actually on some level I did need sleep. It didn't seem based on how long I went without sleep, though - it next appeared a week after I slept, completely throwing off my theory on how it worked. Deciding I'd figure it out later, I just made sure I'd sleep when I needed to and moved on.

While I was spending almost every moment training, Mitsuki was working hard on the case for Honda. While we had an overwhelming amount of evidence, pretty much everything but his own confession, she still needed to put it into a form that if viewed by an impartial judge would be assured to win. I didn't envy her, as I tried to learn about Swamp's legal system in one of my studying sessions, and even I struggled to wrap my head around it.

Quickly, though, the two-week date arrived, and the time came for me to go home. I waited on top of the palace, trying to see if I'd be able to catch the ninja relieving me come in.

I waited four hours.

Eight.

The whole day.

_Where are they? They shouldn't be this long - they should be Chunin and Jonin, right? They can get to Swamp in a day, what's holding them? Did they run into a missing-nin or something?_

My thoughts were interrupted as I heard a crowing sound, and I looked up, seeing a messenger hawk. _Ah, Hokage-sama must've changed the plan. That makes sense._ I called the bird down, and it landed lightly on my arm. I took the scroll attached to it, wishing that I had a treat to give it, and watched it fly away back to where it came.

I watched it for a few minutes, before looking down at the scroll. _That's weird,_ I thought. _That's the seal of the Land of Fire, not Konoha…Did the daimyo send me a message?_ For a moment, I thought that I had accidentally taken a message for Chichiatsu-dono, but I recognised that hawk - I'd seen it in the Hokage's office. This was definitely for me.

I cracked open the scroll, wondering what was going on.

_To all Konoha-nin currently on mission:_

_All nin on B-ranked missions and below hereby ordered to return to the Land of Fire capital, effective immediately. All nin on A and S-ranked missions, complete said missions, then return as soon as possible. This is not a drill._

My eyes widened as I continued reading.

_Repeat, this is not a drill. All nin on B-ranks and below, return immediately._

_Konoha has fallen._

**-END OF THE PROLOGUE-**


	34. Interlude - Uzumaki Naruto

**A Life of its Own, Interlude**

**Such is Life**

**Uzumaki Naruto  
**

* * *

**I don't normally make notes at the beginning of chapters, but there's something important I have to note: t** **his'll be shorter than the prologue, what with it being called the interlude and all. Including this one, there'll only be four chapters. In addition, we'll only get to what we'd consider Shippuden/Part 2 with Act 1 of the story. The reason I'm making a point of this is because this isn't technically _essential_ reading to understand the majority of the story - if you want, you can move straight on to Act 1 from the prologue.  
**

**That being said, I very much recommend reading this, as I won't really touch on what's covered in here again, and it gives important context to certain things in the future.**

**Thanks for reading. On with the show.**

* * *

"Are you _sure_ we can't go back and get her? Or like, help her or something? She'll be all by herself!"

"No, Naruto. She received a personal mission request directly from a daimyo. It only makes sense that she would agree. Who knows what he might've done had she said no?" Naruto turned away from the older shinobi, sulking. Kakashi sighed at his charge's childish behaviour. "I've already sent word back to the Hokage. If he sends word back before we reach the village to get her, we'll turn right around and do it, okay?"

This seemed to appease the boy, who went back to tending the fire at their campsite. Kakashi didn't have the heart to tell him that even if Hokage-sama did want Sakura back – Kakashi hoped the man would see sense and order her to return, unlike the girl herself or that presumptuous child of a warlord – his decision would be made long after they had already returned to the village, and likely even if a team were sent to get her, they wouldn't be a part of it.

Sasuke had seemed to pick up on the silent subtext, as he was sulking in his own way, not doing anything overt yet refusing to speak to Kakashi and being snappier with Naruto than he had been in weeks. _She really was the glue holding the team together in a way. A lot like you were, Rin… Especially because I feel like this was my fault again too, for whatever reason._ Kakashi sighed again. _I don't need this headache right now._

* * *

The journey that had taken more than a week by caravan only took two and a half days on their return journey. Sasuke bet they could've done it faster too, but Kakashi was trying not to push them too hard. Where once he would've been furious that the man was babying him, Sasuke actually quietly appreciated it from the man. It allowed him some time to himself, and to think.

Sakura didn't even think about the decision she made. As soon as that daimyo had asked the question, she said yes. She only even started considering the amount of time she'd even be on the mission for _after_ she'd already accepted it. If she were only a little dumber, she might've inadvertently accepted it for life…

The thought that she was so ready to accept it without those considerations though… That bothered him more than he would like to admit. And the fact that _that_ bothered him frustrated him to no end. She was just a girl who he was on a team with. Who he had known for half his life. Who he had almost died with. Who he admired, on some level.

He was meant to be an avenger, he was meant to live his life alone, gain power, and kill his brother. _And then what?_ He wasn't meant to care about other people. _And why not?_ He shouldn't be… _worried…_ that she might be in over her head, or she might get hurt without any back-up. _She's your teammate, that's exactly what you should feel, right?_ And most of all, he shouldn't feel hurt that she had just thoughtlessly decided to accept the mission without considering his feelings. _She's your friend, and she messed up. It happens. Just call her out on it later, and you'll be good._

On second thought, he didn't appreciate Kakashi leaving him to his thoughts. They were turning mutinous.

And… they weirdly sounded like…

* * *

Naruto just… didn't get it. How could she have just left like that? Like, it was a cool mission and stuff, and she'd probably save princesses and kiss a prince or something, but… She just left them. Didn't that bother her. If Naruto was in her position, there's no way he could've just gone on the mission, not at least without saying goodbye to everyone first.

Maybe she was going to write a letter? That's something smart people did, and Sakura-chan was like. The smartest person… ever! Except Shikamaru, but that guy's so lazy that Naruto bet at some point he'd die because it was too much effort to keep breathing.

Hmm. Maybe he should hang out with Shikamaru and Choji again. It's not like it'd been _super_ long since he'd seen them last, what with their whole joint team training… thingy, but it had been a while since he just went cloud-watching with them.

Shikamaru was smart, right? Almost as smart as Sakura.

Maybe he could explain what he was feeling. And why she left.

* * *

The day after they returned from the mission protecting Chichiatsu, Naruto found himself wandering the village. Kakashi had given them a day off, and Hokage-jiji hadn't told them to go back and get Sakura-chan yet. Naruto was sure he would, eventually. He just had to do all that paperwork stuff for it first, right? Then they'd go get her.

"Hey, Naruto-kun!" The blond turned around, seeing a familiar face calling him, and he broke out into a huge grin.

"Rinka-chan!" He shouted, rushing over to the older girl. "You okay!?" He said excitedly, wrapping the girl in his arms and lifting her up off her feet. She laughed at his over-enthusiasm, sounding like a bell, and smiled warmly at him. He wanted to show his affection, and she was very happy to accept it – it was something that they both desperately needed.

"I'm doing just fine, Naruto-kun." She replied giggling, the two girls with her that he hadn't noticed originally – that he now recognised as Ami and Aya the Nosebreaker – grinning back and sighing respectively. "I should be asking you how you're doing. How was the mission?"

"It went great!" He exclaimed, placing Rinka down as he did so. "We ran into some bandits, but apart from that it was business as usual!"

Rinka laughed again, causing Naruto to feel warm down in his chest, and for Ami to grin even wider. "Careful there, Uzumaki. You already got one of the girls in our class pining over you – don't want to give her any competition, do ya?" Rinka flushed, swiping at Ami who skipped out of the way, laughing.

"Hinata-chan staked her claim long before I even met you guys." She grumbled under her breath. "I'm not stepping on her toes. It's girls like her you should be scared of getting angry."

"What're you guys talking about?" What does it mean when someone… 'stakes their claim'?

Rinka giggled. He was so oblivious, it was adorable. "Never you mind, Naruto-kun. Anyway, I'm glad I ran into you, and so's this one-" She paused to point over at Ami, who blushed herself and turned away. "-even if she's doing everything she can not to show it." Naruto blinked at the girls, who were only confusing him more by the minute.

"Uhhh… okay? What's the problem? She sick or something?" He asked, pointing at Ami.

 _He really doesn't get it._ Rinka smiled tenderly at her friend, lightly shaking her head. "No, she's not sick. We were just wondering if you knew were Sakura-chan was. We'd-"

"You say we, but you dragged me here without my consent." Aya snarked, speaking for the first time in the entire conversation.

"We'd like to catch up with her." Rinka continued as if she hadn't been interrupted, but not without a swipe at Aya, who could've easily dodged but simply chose to take the light thump on the head. Naruto's face darkened at the question, and all three girls immediately knew something was wrong.

"Naruto?" Ami asked, cautiously. "What happened?"

* * *

"What the _FUCK_ do you _mean she's gone for three years? THREE!?"_ Ami screamed, distraught at the fact. Naruto bristled, getting in her face and screaming right back.

"You heard me! She's protecting the daimyo or whatever!" Aya was silent as usual, but for once it was from genuine shock rather than simply not wanting to speak, while Rinka's hand covered the lower half of her face, her mouth shaped into a silent O.

"And she's just gone!? Just like that!?"

"Yeah, just like that! And there's nothing… nothing we can do about it." Naruto's voice dropped, as the reality of the situation began hitting him for the first time. Ami looked at him in shock, before dropping her head and chuckling darkly.

"Figures. Fucking figures." She said, scratching her face with her right hand. Naruto noticed that she was wearing some sort of glove now, with a cloth palm and plated metal fingers that seemed more like claws than traditional human digits. "I knew it was too good to be true. I came out and told her everything, and then she runs away the first chance she-"

A dull thud resounded in the air. Ami sprawled backwards and fell on her ass, placing a hand on the cheek that had been hit. She looked up in equal parts surprise and shock to Rinka, and then to her outstretched hand that had slapped her. She blinked, surprise growing as she looked back to Rinka, this time seeing the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes.

"Don't you dare talk about her that way, and don't you dare say something you'll regret either. You _know_ that's not why she did this. She would never hurt anyone like that, least of all you." Rinka said firmly, her voice not wavering whatsoever. Anyone just listening would never have thought she was anywhere even close to breaking down.

Ami didn't respond for a few seconds, placing her head in her hands. "Yeah." She mumbled, the word barely audible, before pushing her hands up her face and through her hair. "Yeah." She said more resolutely. "Knowing her, she just heard the prospect of an S-rank and thought _'Hell yeah I'm doing that'_ and nothing else." She tried to smile, but her mouth wavered, and the light didn't reach her eyes. "That's our Ku-chan, right?"

Rinka's tears began to fall, and she dropped to her knees, wrapping her friend in a tight hug, which Ami returned, while Aya uncharacteristically fell to her knees as well, and placed her forehead against the other two, lightly stroking their hair and whispering to them both. Naruto looked the incredibly public yet intensely personal show of affection and felt guilty after watching for less than a second, and so decided that it would probably be best if he left them to deal with the news in their own way, even as the extremity of how they reacted only made him feel worse.

* * *

Naruto wanted to take his mind off things, but didn't really know how. There wasn't really anyone he could think of that he could hang out with that the topic of Sakura wouldn't come up with. But at the same time, he didn't really want to hang around by himself… _Maybe Sasuke's not doing anything._

Naruto's hands instantly grabbed his face and he screamed in frustration. How can _Sasuke_ be his best option!? Anyone else'd be better, he wasn't going to deal with that mopey bastard now!

"Hey Boss!"

Naruto turned around, seeing three little kids running towards him, and a grin broke out on his face. He'd forgotten about Konohamaru and his friends. They'd met Sakura once or twice, but they wouldn't think to ask about her, at least he hoped. He could play with them for a bit. That'd help, definitely! "What's up, Konohamaru?"

"Wanna play ninja?" asked Moegi excitedly, the three kids just about managing not to trip over themselves as they skidded to a stop in front of Naruto. "We haven't played in ages!"

"Didn't I play with you before my last mission?"

"Yeah, and that was two weeks ago." said the snotty one – Naruto always forgot his name. "That's like, almost a _month_."

"Well…" Naruto coughed and preened, making a show of pretending to check his schedule and think about what to do. "I guess I can spare some time for you brats. I can play with you for a little bit."

"Yay!" The three kids cheered, before Konohamaru began to run off. "You're it, boss! Catch me if you- oof!"

"That hurt, you brat." Konohamaru was instantly lifted off the ground by his scarf by... a guy in his pyjamas? He was wearing really weird clothes, and Naruto noticed he had paint or make up or something on his face. And some weird bandaged thing on his back, too. "I hate little brats like you."

"Hey, leave him alone!" Naruto cried out, before charging the other boy, who simply flexed his fingers before the blond suddenly tripped. "The hell?" He wondered aloud, quickly rising to his feet.

"You're a little short brat too… Someone like you is good enough to be a ninja here? Sheesh. Konoha genin really are weak." The painted pyjama boy's attention turned back to Konohamaru, who's face had contorted into one of fear. "But I need to punish this entitled little one before I deal with you." The pyjama boy raised his fist, causing Naruto to panic and charge him again.

"Stop!"

A rock flew through the air, slicing the top of Kankuro's hand and making him flinch back from hitting Konohamaru. He looked up angrily at where the rock had come from, spotting another annoying brat lazily reclined in a tree, tossing another pebble in his hand as if it made him look cool. Kankuro scowled. "Another brat that I instantly hate…"

"What the hell are foreign genin doing in our village?" Sasuke asked simply. The Suna boy didn't bother to answer, simply dropping Konohamaru, pulling that thing from his back and placing it on the ground front of him. The girl with him smirked.

"Whoa there, Kankuro. You're really gonna fight now?"

"Someone needs to teach these brats respect, Temari."

Sasuke and Naruto's senses screamed at them, and both of their gazes flashed to right beside where the Uchiha was perched. Not a moment later, a red-haired boy with a huge gourd on his back appeared, stood upside-down on a branch. "Stop it, Kankuro." The boy said softly, but his tone brooked no argument.

Kankuro began to sweat instantly. "H-Hey Gaara, I was just-"

"Shut up. I don't care. Stop, now."

"Okay. W-Whatever you say." Kankuro holstered his puppet, thoughts of punishing these entitled Leaf children completely forgotten. Temari seemed just as shaken up as he, and as Gaara disappeared in a swirl of sand, the two of them also disappeared in their own shunshin.

Naruto blinked in shock, and met Sasuke's gaze. They both nodded to each other, and Sasuke disappeared into the wind as Naruto gathered up the three scared kids and tried to calm them down.

* * *

"So what's this all about, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, curious what they could be doing if they weren't training or taking a mission.

"Well, there's something I wanted to ask the two of you. The Chunin Exams are in a couple of days, right here in the village, and I think the two of you are ready for them. So, I wanted to ask if you wanted to take them."

Both boys seemed to get excited at the prospect, and so Kakashi felt as if he needed to temper their expectations before they got too big. "But… before you make the decision… there's something I need to tell you. Just because I think you're ready doesn't mean you actually are, for one. There's no guarantee you'll make it to the third stage, let alone be promoted… but more importantly…

"The Chunin Exams are a three-person exam. You take them as a team. And, I'm sorry to tell you this, but at least for now… Hokage-sama has decreed that Sakura-chan will remain on her mission. There's no chance she'll be able to take it with you, and if you decide to take it, you'll have to find a third member. Though I think Ami-chan or Aya-chan both would make excellent replacements, but still. It's something you need to know."

The excitement had completely faded from the boys, an air of melancholy now surrounding the group as the news that no, they really wouldn't see Sakura for three years hit them. They were both silent for a while, before Sasuke quietly spoke up. "Do you have to be a chunin… to take higher ranked missions?"

Kakashi blinked at the question that had seemingly come out of nowhere, but easily answered it. "Not technically. Of course, it's very uncommon for genin to get anything higher than the occasional B-rank, but there isn't actually any limit to what missions they can take. Technically, you both've completed two A-ranks. But those were special circumstances. For a genin to be assigned those missions under normal conditions, they'd have to be a chunin or higher in all but name."

"But it's possible, right?" A strange glint had entered Sasuke's eye, and upon looking at Naruto, Kakashi noticed he had the same look, despite them not saying anything to each other. Not for the first time, Kakashi was amazed by the instinctive understanding the two of them had with each other. They fought like he and Obito once had, but really, their relationships were nothing alike. What Kakashi would've given to have had that with his old friend. Maybe then, things would be…

"Yeah, it's possible. It'd be a very odd situation, but-"

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other, before saying in unison, "We're not taking the Exams."

Kakashi sighed. He'd seen this coming once Sasuke had asked that question, but it still completely threw him for a loop. "You sound pretty sure about this. How come you don't want to take them?"

"Well, if you can take higher ranked missions despite your ninja rank…" Sasuke began.

"…Then we can just spend our time training and getting super strong! And take chunin level missions anyway. And then when Sakura's back…" Naruto continued, before they finished together.

"We can all take the Exams and ace them together."

The training ground was silent for a while, before Kakashi sighed, putting his head in his hand and smiling into it. _Yeah… I don't know how I managed it, but I think I cracked it, Sensei. This is what you wanted us to be…. It's a pity we realised it too late. But these three…_ "Fine." Kakashi said, raising his head and looking hard into the two boy's eyes. "If that's what you want, that's what we'll do. But this won't be easy."

"The Chunin Exams last for a month, as I'm sure you both know. Because of that, for the entire month, we don't have to take any missions to account for you taking the exams if you want or helping with village security against the foreign nin here for the exams if you don't. So we'll spend this month training, hard. You two are borderline chunin-level already. By the finals, we'll make that solidly chunin-level. Then we can ease off training and start higher-ranked missions. Got it?"

The boys nodded, and Kakashi smiled back, but it seemed more sadistic than normal. "I advise not eating breakfast for the next thirty days. You might puke."

* * *

For the first day of their training, Naruto and Sasuke called Kakashi's bluff, thinking it would be like the last time Kakashi had told them not to eat.

Once they had both emptied their stomachs within an hour, they quickly rethought that decision.

While their peers – excepting Aya, Ami and Rinka – all entered the exams, and all were shocked upon not seeing them there, they spent their days training their bodies hard, and both preparing to learn one technique each that Kakashi thought would suit each of them incredibly well. To that end, Naruto began to practice his control by learning water-walking, while Sasuke was made to increase his speed immensely.

Upon seeing that Sasuke, beyond all their plans and wildest dreams, was _not_ involved in the exams, a certain silver haired Leaf genin and a raven haired Grass kunoichi both bit their lips. They would have to account for this… annoyance.

* * *

Five days had passed, and Naruto was completely exhausted. The training for his new jutsu was one thing – he had no idea how he was meant to make this damn water balloon pop, and was starting to think that Kakashi-sensei had tricked him, despite the man telling him it'd be worth it in the end. But no, that wasn't the worst bit – that was all the physical conditioning he was doing! He thought _Sasuke_ was the one who needed to get fast, so why was he getting chased by the dogs as well!?

It didn't help that they never seemed to run out of energy… He'd never met… _anything_ with more energy than him before.

Maybe he should get a dog.

Lost in his thoughts as he was, he barely paid any attention to where he was going other than making sure it was in the general direction of his apartment, and so found himself walking straight into Kiba as he rounded a corner, the both of them falling back on their asses.

The two hotheaded ninja jumped straight back onto their feet. "Hey!" They shouted in unison. "Watch where you're going!" The two of them blinked, now recognising each other, before both of them broke out into grins.

"Hey, Naruto! Should've realised it was you, there's no one else that solid who's also that short. The hell were you? You got nominated for the Exams, didn't you?" Naruto chuckled, scratching the back of his head, just now noticing that Hinata and Shino were with Kiba, and all three of them looked beaten up and exhausted, Hinata especially. Shino seemed to favouring one arm, too…

"Hehe, yeah, we got nominated. But we turned it down. Been training this whole time instead."

Kiba looked the other boy up and down, both noting that he looked even more exhausted than he or Akamaru felt, and that somehow, he looked like he'd gained a not-insignificant amount of muscle and tone since they'd last seen each other. Whatever they were doing seemed like it was working. He even smelt a little different… Tougher. "Yeah, I can see that… But still, how come? Thought you'd want to get promoted as soon as possible, considering all that Hokage shit, and all."

"Yeah, well…" His hand dropped from his head. "Dunno if anyone told you, but Sakura-chan's not in the village anymore. She's staying somewhere else for a couple years. So Sasuke and I, we decided that we'd take the Exams when she was back, and pass together. We're meant to be a team after all, so…"

"Huh…" Kiba looked at his friend, seeing him in a slightly different light. Shino readjusted his glasses, while Hinata silently pressed her fingers together, wishing she had the courage to try and comfort the now seemingly sad Uzumaki. Kiba grinned after a moment, clapping Naruto on the shoulder. "Well, that don't sound too bad to me. Just make sure you don't wait too long, or I'll make jonin before you even get your first promotion!"

Kiba chortled at his own joke, while Naruto instantly got mad, shouting at the Inuzuka, who stepped up to the challenge and began angrily shouting back. Hinata sighed to herself, the moment lost. Rinka would be disappointed in her… She was so weak. She wanted to promise to herself she'd say something next time… but deep down she knew she wouldn't.

* * *

Over the next month, Naruto and Sasuke trained – in some cases harder – than their friends who had made it to the Chunin Exam finals. Kakashi only allowed them one day off a week – though when this day came, he _insisted_ that they not train on it whatsoever, and instead take the time to themselves to relax and recharge. Naruto found himself on one of these days, two weeks into the month of training, playing with Konohamaru again.

He would've preferred to be hanging out with someone his own age, but Kakashi-sensei was keeping them on a constantly changing schedule – meaning the only person sure to be available was Sasuke, and playing with the brats was way better than spending time with that bastard.

Plus… It was nice, hearing the kids look up to him as they did. It made him feel… special.

The kids ran through the streets, giggling, and Naruto half-heartedly chased after them, quick enough to keep up, but slow enough that it would extend the game for a few minutes. He didn't even notice that they were near the bathhouses, nor did he see the giant of a man who seemed to be peeping into them, running straight past him as he went to catch the academy students.

Jiraiya watched him go, a calculating look on his face. He would've taken him in now, started his apprentice training… but it looked like for whatever reason, Kakashi had decided to get off his ass and start training him seriously. From what he'd heard, he was even learning the Rasengan, and was close to finishing the second stage.

He still wasn't entirely sure why he wasn't in the Exams… He'd rounded on Sarutobi-sensei and Kakashi for not nominating him, but the fact that it'd been him and his teammate's decision to not enter had thrown him for a loop. Perhaps he was less like himself than he realised. He'd assumed he'd gotten Minato's looks and Kushina's brain, but… maybe it wasn't that simple.

Jiraiya sighed, packing up his small telescope, as the shadow clones he'd placed in the baths as his 'subjects' dispersed. He'd hoped to at least run into the boy now… But that could wait. _After the Exams…_ He had more important things to do than mope around about his failings as a godfather. Quiet as a whisper, he disappeared in a body flicker.

* * *

"Hey, d'ya know who outta our class is in this thing or what?" Naruto asked his teammate as they began moving towards their seats.

"No. I haven't seen any of them since we got back from our mission."

"Figures you wouldn't, antisocial bastard. I didn't ask, but I'm pretty sure Kiba's team passed. I saw them when their month break started."

"You know it's one-on-one fights now, right? And they already had preliminaries. There's no guarantee their whole team won." Sasuke scoffed.

"Well yeah, I guess…" Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head, scanning the crowd as they walked through the stands.

"Sasuke-kun!" The last Uchiha groaned, as a blonde head of hair appeared over the crowd, held aloft on a familiar big-boned boy's shoulders.

"What do you want?" He asked grumpily, as Naruto grinned, walking over to them.

"Hey, Choji! What's up?" The large Akimichi smiled at his friend as he let Ino down, his job done now that she had spotted Sasuke. She ran to speak to him, as Choji fell into easy conversation with Naruto.

"Not much, really. It was fun watching Shika being forced to train for the last month, though. What's up with you?"

Naruto's grin became wider, as he rubbed the underside of his nose. "Hehe. Let's just say you should be glad I wasn't in the Exams, or I'd have knocked you out in the first round!"

Choji chuckled. "I think you might've struggled with that, considering it was a written test."

Naruto's face paled, and he quickly thanked whatever higher being there was for him having sat out this year. It would've been so embarrassing if he had failed the first part of the exam. Quickly changing track, he asked "Where's Shika? Thought he'd be with-" before his brain caught up with the rest of what Choji had said. "Wait, don't tell me… He's in the finals and you guys aren't? How the hell'd that happen?"

Choji simply shrugged. "There was this team from the year above us, Team 9 I think. All three of them are in the finals. Me and Ino got matched up with two of them, and it was like we were fighting actual chunin. Couldn't do anything against them. I fought a weapons user, and Ino had to fight a Hyuuga – last year's rookie of the year. We just got unlucky. Shika's opponent wasn't that strong though, this guy called… Akado Yoroi? I think that's what his name was. Didn't seem like much."

"Huh. If all three of them passed, they're probably pretty strong. Who'd the other one fight?"

"Shino. He was so fast, Shino's bugs couldn't even catch him, and he just knocked him around like a pinball. They're all super strong."

Naruto grinned, excitedly. "Man, now I wanna see what they can do! I can't wait for this!"

Choji smiled warmly again. "Do you have seats yet? There are a few of us rookies over this way if you've not got any."

"Sounds good! Hey, bastard! Let's go sit over here!" Naruto shouted at Sasuke, who was seemingly making a point of just ignoring Ino talking at him. He muttered something under his breath, but made his way over quickly, seemingly grateful for the save, while Ino trailed behind, still chattering away.

* * *

Hinata fidgeted slightly. She couldn't believe that her father had allowed her to sit here… She would have to thank Rinka. She'd do it now, but… She fidgeted more, blushing deeply as she stole a glance at the cheering blond beside her, before curling into herself and pressing her fingers together nervously. She tried to open her mouth to say something, but was drowned out by the crowd. She shut it with a click, instead flicking her eyes up to the battlefield, where Kiba seemed to be running rings around Shikamaru.

"Heh! Can't keep up, can you Shikamaru!" Kiba shouted, he and Akamaru literally in the process of running around the Nara, who sighed, hands in his pockets.

"You know that's the third time you've said that in the last five minutes, right? It's getting a bit repetitive, even for you." He said boredly, taking his eyes off of Kiba and looking up at the sky instead. "I know you're not the wittiest, but surely you've got better trash talk than that considering how much you practice it." He took a hand out of his pocket, lazily scratching the side of his head. "Especially considering that despite all your bluster, you haven't even hit me yet."

"Who needs trash talk!? I'll just-"

"You, apparently."

Kiba grit his teeth, hearing the crowd begin to laugh at him. "I'll just end this now! Let's go, Akamaru!" He shouted, the dog jumping onto his back and transforming into a clone of him, as a cloud passed over the sun. "Fang Passing-"

The boy and his dog dived out of the way of the kunai that had been flung at them so suddenly, and were caught off guard as it detonated, sending the both of them tumbling across the ground. A black shadow snaked across the ground, first attaching itself to Kiba's shadow, before extending to Akamaru's.

"Shadow Imitation success." Shikamaru said, lethargically walking forwards, Kiba and Akamaru following his movements exactly. He slowly pulled out two kunai from his weirdly placed holster, holding them to both their necks. "Sorry Kiba, but I gotta avenge my team in the next rounds. Can't afford to play around with you. C'mon, forfeit."

In the competitors stand, Tenten grinned, as Kiba accepted his loss below. So the Nara boy was holding a bit of a grudge was he? Cool, she'd never seen or heard of a Nara who was bothered about anything. She had felt a bit bad about completely embarrassing his teammate a month ago, but now she was glad she did if it meant this kid would actually try against her. "Let's see what you've got, Nara."

Neji scoffed beside her, while Lee cheered at the conclusion of the fight below. "That was an excellent display of youth there! I believe you'll have your work cut out for you in the next round, Tenten-chan!"

Team Gai heard a scoff from behind them, looking over their shoulders to see a black-haired Oto genin. "That's _if_ princess over here can beat me. And I don't see that happening."

Tenten's grin only widened, confidence bolstered by her opponent's arrogance. She leaned back against the railing on the viewing platform before replying to the other girl. "Well, we'll just have to see about that won't we, Kin-san?" She smirked, before flipping over the railing and into the battlefield below. Kin scoffed, before taking the more traditional route down through the stairs, passing Kiba and Shikamaru by on their way up.

* * *

Genma sighed. He didn't want to be roped into this… proctor business. This was all Hayate's fault. Why did he have to go and get himself killed? _Well, I guess it's probably for the best, harsh as that sounds. Without him, we wouldn't know anything weird was going on here. It's still probably some foreign jonin acting on an old grudge, but I don't blame Hokage-sama for taking it so seriously, even if it'll probably end up being nothing._

He took a look at the two girls in front of him, who stared back expectantly at him. _The panda-looking one is one of Gai's kids, right? I should catch up with him at some point. Haven't really kept in contact since he started outranking me… I should get Ebisu in on that as well. Maybe get him to stop being so up his own ass._ His face was completely passive, not betraying his inner thoughts whatsoever. The Tokubetsu jonin raised his hand. "Ready?" The two girls nodded.

 _All of Gai's kids are in this actually, now that I think about it. And the way the bracket's set up, if she wins this fight and her next, and the other two win each of theirs, they'd fight each other for a three-way final. That'd be a first._ He chopped his hand down, as he barked at them to begin. _I'll buy Gai a drink if that happens. It'd be the proof that his crazy training really does work. Especially considering one of 'em would hafta beat that Suna kid… He's definitely Rasa's kid alright. He's creepy as fuck._

The two girls separated instantly, leaping back, as Tenten immediately released a hail of kunai and shuriken at the other girl, who quickly pulled out senbon and desperately tried to block and dodge the Konoha genin's attacks. "I still don't really get how your whole sound genjutsu works, but I know that the very least, you've gotta throw your senbon to make it work!"

Kin was already panting heavily as the barrage of weapons abated. What the hell was that!? She hadn't had that kind of speed in the prelims, nor nearly as many weapons. She looked up, seeing that Tenten had laid two scrolls out on the ground. "And not to mention, you beat Hinata-chan. And if she's anywhere near as strong as her cousin, that means I can't take any chances fighting you. So sorry, but I'm ending this now!"

Tenten leapt up into the air, twin dragons of smoke flying up and twirling around her. As the smoke cleared, they revealed the two scrolls she had placed down before, now unfurled. Kin's eyes widened as she realised that they were storage scrolls, and as countless weapons began to pour out of them, she raised her senbon in a futile attempt to block what was coming, even though fear crept into her body.

"Soshoryuu!" Tenten cried, throwing a frankly ridiculous amount of weapons at her opponent, the Rising Twin Dragons giving her a seemingly endless store of them. Shikamaru's eyes narrowed as he saw the technique for the first time, closely watching it and looking for any potential weaknesses. A cloud of dust obscured Kin where the barrage of weapons had impacted the ground, and after a few seconds, once Tenten's attack had abated, it cleared to reveal Kin, impaled with several of the weapons in a pool of her own blood.

A gasp filled the stadium from horrified civilians, even as the forest of weapons created by Tenten's jutsu began to fade away, the weapons disappearing in clouds of smoke. Quickly, Genma rushed over to Kin, discovering she was still alive, and in quite good shape too, considering how lethal the attack had looked from the outside looking in. He looked up at Tenten, seeing the sparkle in her eyes, and instantly understood what had happened.

 _Even in all of that, she had the presence of mind, skill and accuracy to make sure she didn't hit any vital areas… I know people my rank who couldn't do that. She really is one of Gai's… Ah, damn, I'll get him a drink anyway. He deserves it._ "Winner, Tenten!"

* * *

The next match had been a bit of an anti-climax, with Temari forfeiting before she or Gaara even left the stands. With Neji also having received a bye to the second round, that only left the final match in the first round – Rock Lee vs Kinuta Dosu. As word spread around that Lee was on the same team as the girl who had just fought, _and_ that he was fighting another Oto genin, the crowd began to excitedly murmur, wondering how Lee would completely destroy the foreign nin like his teammate had.

Dosu scoffed. He'd seen this kid in the preliminaries, and while he was pretty fast and pretty strong, that was all he had going for him. Apparently he couldn't even use jutsu. Kin was a weakling for losing to his teammate, especially so quickly, but he'd known that already. He'd just use this opportunity to show Orochimaru-sama how far above those other two he really was. Though it's not like being better than Zaku really mattered at this point.

Rumour has it they were still finding bits of him in the sand at the preliminary grounds.

His opponent stood in front of him, screaming something about youth, and a good match, and all that? He didn't particularly get it, and his voice was starting to annoy him. Whatever. He'd be eating his words once he showed everyone what a weakling he was. He nodded at the proctor to show he was ready to begin, and the green boy in front of him also settled into his stance. Dosu smirked underneath his bandages. It's not like it would matter. One good hit from the Melody Arm and-

"Begin!"

Dosu crashed into the wall of the arena, knocked out completely in a single hit from Lee. "I am sorry, my opponent, but my real fight begins with your defeat!" He said solemnly, bowing to the unconscious Sound ninja as Genma declared his victory.

* * *

 _I don't really have any plan, other than to use her weapons against her… But the ones from that big jutsu dismiss themselves. I'd need her to use more permanent ones if I want to use the idea I've thought of… But how to get her to do that?_ Shikamaru droned to himself, as he barely leaned out of the way of a sword swipe, half-heartedly chucking a shuriken at the older girl, which was easily blocked. He used that time to scramble away and make some space between them, as Tenten lobbed more weapons at him.

The projectiles sunk into a tree trunk as Shikamaru dove into a bush, as Tenten growled in irritation. She had thought that this guy really wanted to fight her! "Why are you running around like a cornered rat and acting like you'd rather be anywhere else but here!?"

The weapons she had thrown to punctuate her statement hit nothing but air, as Shikamaru popped his head out from the bush he was hiding in, looking at her with an eyebrow raised. "Am I meant to _enjoy_ some crazy bitch throwing the village's entire weapon stock at me?"

"I thought you said you wanted to avenge your teammates?"

Shikamaru's eyebrow only rose higher. "No, I said I _had to_. My gorilla of a female teammate wouldn't take no for an answer. How she gets anyone to believe that she's a lady I'll never understand." Shikamaru could _feel_ rather than hear Ino's outraged squawking already, and knew he'd be in for an earful later, but he pushed that aside. He already had a troublesome woman to deal with as it was.

Tenten's frustration only grew, feeling like Shikamaru wasn't taking her seriously. The confidence that had bubbled within her at how Kin had acted before the match and how quickly and easily she had defeated her began to fade, as the Nara's lack of interest made her feel, yet again, that _she wasn't good enough._ Like she always did.

"Fight me properly, you asshole!" She screamed at him, almost to the point of tears, launching a barrage of weapons at him once again. Shikamaru's eyes narrowed again, instantly being able to tell that the situation had changed, perhaps for the worse. Without even trying, he'd made her emotional, and while that'd make her wilder and more unpredictable, it'd also make her sloppy.

He dove out of the way of that flurry of weapons, keeping track of their locations as he was doing for every other piece of weaponry she had thrown, making a clear mental map of them. He briefly thought about trying the Kagenui. He'd just about gotten his shadows to move at a speed where he was comfortable using them in combat, after all.

He dismissed the idea quickly. It might not work, and his lack of mastery of the Shadow Sewing would only increase the chance of that. Add in the chakra it'd take because of said lacking skill with it, and the below-average stores he had as it was, and it just made the burgeoning plan unfeasible, and so he dismissed it, though he stored the idea in his head, thinking that it might be useful at some point in the future.

He leapt away from another barrage, the kunai slicing his leg and nicking his bicep, deciding he'd stick with his original plan. He flicked through handseals, alerting Tenten that he was up to something, causing her to throw another barrage as he landed. He winced in anticipation, but knowing that this would be the best time for his plan, he went ahead with it, charging straight forward and through the weapons.

Tenten recoiled in shock – Nara were meant to be smart! Why would he do something so reckless? Yet despite his foolhardiness, Shikamaru emerged from the weapons not as a pincushion like everyone had assumed he would become, but in actuality barely damaged at all, having only taken a glancing blow to the shoulder that had torn his vest.

Tenten instinctively leapt back, wary of his shadow shooting out and ensnaring her, but was shocked as she saw it instead shoot out to the side. She watched in horror as it touched many of her discarded weapons, even ones that _she_ had forgotten she'd thrown, using their shadows to elongate itself, and couldn't do a thing as she saw it stop _exactly_ where she was about to land. "Dammit!" She cried out, throwing her head up towards the sky, before it was forced back down towards Shikamaru as the Kagemane jutsu completed.

"Phew. That took longer than I hoped it would…" Shikamaru sighed, walking towards Tenten as he had done to Kiba and Akamaru earlier. The older girl's eyes were distraught, filled with frustration and disappointment, seemingly all focused on herself. She began to open her mouth to concede, before Shikamaru interrupted her. "I forfeit."

She looked at the boy incredulously, waiting for the other penny to drop. "What-"

Two incredibly loud voices interrupted her from the stands. "-the HELL SHIKAMARU!?" The boy in question looked up at the spectators, using his hand to block out the sun, and spotting two troublesome blondes that he knew better than he wanted to, and what looked like unbridled, unending fury in both of their eyes.

He caught eyes with Asuma-sensei, sitting near where the outraged duo had risen to their feet, and the older man looked at him with mirth in his eyes and a smile on his lips, before shaking his head and shrugging. "Traitor." He muttered, dropping the Shadow Imitation, letting Tenten collapse to her knees like a puppet with its strings cut. He began to walk away to the stands, before Tenten called at him to wait.

"Why… did you-"

"I don't have enough chakra to fight the kind of people I'd be going up against if I went any further, nor do I have the physical ability either. You've got a shot though, so I thought I might as well show off what I can and then let the better fighter go through." He stopped for a moment, before saying one last thing. "Oh, and when you throw your barrages, you leave a consistent open spot in them to the right, especially when you're angry. That's how I got through without getting hurt. Might want to look at that." At that, he put his hands in his pockets and wandered off, dreading the telling off he was no doubt about to receive.

* * *

With Lee receiving a bye to the finals, it was already time for the second-to-last match in the tournament, Neji vs. Gaara. Despite this, it was both of their first fights, and both of them were ready and raring to go. "I'll show your mother what it means to be fated to lose, Suna nin." Neji said simply, before he began to descend the staircase. Gaara simply grunted, disappearing and reappearing in the ring with a swirl of sand.

"Ready?" Genma asked what was no doubt the two most powerful genin here. The two of them could give some tokubetsu jonin a run for their money. Both nodded, not feeling in the mood for words, and Genma found himself nodding as well. "Alright… Begin!" He shouted, quickly getting out of the way as Neji dashed forward with incredible speed.

Gaara stared at him impassively, arms crossed, as his sand rose unbidden to protect him from Neji's quick strike, and a second tendril lashed out to attack. Neji easily slipped away from the attack, spinning into another attack that was also blocked by Gaara's automatic sand shield, before he disengaged, flipping back.

"Your sand is a powerful defence. I can see why you've made it this far. Unfortunately for you, however… It is not unbeatable." Neji reached down, unclasping the small weights that were attached to his ankles, and removing the wristbands he had been wearing. "I spent the last month preparing for this battle… and fate has seen fit to grant me the power to win it."

At that proclamation, he threw the weights behind him, the sheer mass creating a crater and kicking up a cloud of dust. While he was disappointed he hadn't been able to build up his weights to the level that Gai, or even Lee used, he was certain he wouldn't need them. The increase to his movement speed, and _especially_ to his already blistering hand speed would be more than enough to defeat this foreigner.

"You cannot fight fate, Suna nin. Prepare to face the might of the Hyuuga clan!" He cried out, before charging Gaara, Byakugan blazing. Sure enough, as he had predicted, while his overall speed wasn't enough to beat his defences, Neji's hands easily sped past Gaara's comparatively sluggish defences, and Neji's palms crashed into Gaara's chest, piercing through his sand armour and closing two of his tenketsu.

Gaara staggered back, unused to the distinctly unpleasant sensation of whatever his opponent had done to him. He angrily looked up at the now smirking boy, Mother's cries to kill and rend him limb from limb growing stronger and louder by the second. He raised a hand, causing his sand to fly towards the white-eyed boy in an attempt to capture him in a sand coffin, but he easily dove out of the way again, and touched him thrice more, making him feel that sensation once again.

Gaara's rage was beginning to boil over, and Temari and Kankuro both began to sweat profusely, terrified at what they could both tell was going to happen. It wasn't time to start things yet, but they knew that Gaara didn't care – he'd do whatever he wanted. Temari only felt sorry for the kid fighting him. He had no idea what he was in for.

As the blind boy continued to do more things to him, Gaara became confused. He could hear Mother less and less, but every time he did hear her, she was more violent than he had ever heard her, to the point she was almost splitting his head in two. His sand became more sluggish, and slowly began to stop listening to him. He didn't know what was happening. He didn't understand. What was this sensation!?

Confusion gave way to anger.

Neji smirked, watching as the sand was barely able to even touch him. He'd closed enough tenketsu that he could barely defend himself, and Neji could tell this boy had never used his hands to fight anyone. "This match is over." He declared, lowering himself into the Eight Trigrams stance, daring any of those bastards from the Main House to stop him. "This will finish things! Two palms!" He shouted, planting his hands into Gaara's chest, before attacking again, faster and faster. "Four palms! Eight palms!"

_Mother? Mother, where are you!? I can't hear you any-_

"Sixteen palms! Thirty two palms!"

 _Mot_ _**her!** _

"Eight Trigrams… Sixty four-" Neji was blown back by a veritable tsunami of sand, cracking his head against the arena's wall. Blood trailed from his skull as he slipped into darkness, and was seemingly swallowed up by the sand, which now covered the entire arena. Gaara had been replaced by a half-human, half-sand monster, the whites of his eyes turning black and his irises burning a deep gold. His former opponent forgotten in his rage and anger, he charged out of the arena into Konoha's surrounding forest.

Back in the stands, as Gaara's transformation had begun, feathers descended upon the gathered crowd. Every single one of the rookies in the spectator area's eyes snapped open, completely alert, and as they saw the sand monster run out into the forest, Naruto and Sasuke both instantly charged forward, chasing it.

"Naruto-kun!" Hinata called after them, though they didn't hear her cry. She hesitated for a moment, unsure of the situation, or what she should do, but then Rinka's words came to mind. _I have to… stop hiding!_

"Hinata, wait-" But the girl ignored her sensei and her friend's cries, chasing after her first love and his teammate, just as the hidden Oto nin in the stands descended upon them, preventing any more of them from trying to chase after the three.

* * *

In the Kage's box, Orochimaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi stared each other down, both waiting for the other to make the first move. Out of the corner of his eye, the Snake Sannin saw the group of genin chasing after the Ichibi jinchuriki, and smiled. "There's your target, Kimimaro. Go. Don't disappoint me."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama." The last surviving scion of the Kaguya clan stated simply, cutting down the chunin who tried to bar his path with a sword of bone and giving chase to the children. He would not fail his master. No matter what.

* * *

**For anyone who's curious by the way, the prelims went like this:**

**Zaku vs Gaara - Gaara wins (kills Zaku)**

**Hinata vs Kin - Kin wins**

**Tenten vs Choji - Tenten wins**

**Temari vs Misumi - Temari wins**

**Yoroi vs Shikamaru - Shikamaru wins**

**Neji vs Ino - Neji wins  
**

**Kiba vs Kabuto - Kiba wins**

**Lee vs Shino - Lee wins**

**Kankuro vs Dosu - Dosu wins**


	35. Hyuuga Hinata

**A Life of its Own, Interlude** **  
**

**Such Is Life**

**Hyuuga Hinata**

* * *

Hinata found she could barely even keep up with Naruto-kun – she had known he was strong, but had he always had such speed? The crushing weight of disappointment dulled her senses – especially as she realised that the two boys she was chasing had both slowed the moment they'd noticed her to allow her to catch up.

Because of this, she had no warning before a clone of the boy she admired so barrelled into her side – and saved her from being impaled by the white blade that ripped through the air, whistling until it instead found purchase on the sandy skin of the Sand boy that had caused the impromptu chase to begin with. All three of the boys she had been following whirled around to spot this new threat, as Hinata herself cursed her inattentiveness – the fact she should've heard the attack coming aside, she had no excuse to not have at least had her Byakugan active.

 _I can't even use that right…. I am useless._ The veins near her eyes bulged, as the clone that had saved her unwrapped his arms from her torso, hurriedly asking if she was alright. With a start, she realised _Naruto-kun_ had been basically _hugging_ her – but before she could turn red, and die from embarrassment, the person who had thrown the white… thing, spoke for the first time.

"Uchiha Sasuke." He intoned almost robotically. "You will come with me."

"And if I don't?" Sasuke barked back, Sharingan blazing and expression defiant.

The man – no, teenager – reached behind his back, pulling another blade from… his _shoulder_? "I will take you by force."

Sasuke scoffed. "Yeah, not happening. Naruto!" He shouted, kneeling low on the branch he was perched on, flicking through handseals before electricity sparked in his palm. "I'll deal with the creepy one. Keep the other one busy!"

"Don't tell me what to do, bastard!" Naruto-kun shouted back, even as he turned to face Gaara, a spinning blue orb appearing in his hand as he did so. "Just don't take too long. I don't wanna have to save your ass!" He said, leaping at the sand monster, who began to roar.

"You… You will prove my existence!" He screeched, sand projectiles flying at everyone gathered, forcing everyone to dodge. Hinata watched both battles begin to unfold, despair clawing at her heart as she knew that she simply wasn't good enough to be more than a nuisance in ether one.

Why had she come in the first place?

* * *

"Hinata, wait!" Rinka found herself calling, along with Kurenai-sensei. But it seemed like for whatever reason, the girl had decided today of all days that she _wouldn't_ listen to reason, and as enemy ninja began to descend on the group of rookies and sensei, there wasn't any opportunity for someone to chase their retreating backs.

Rinka stumbled back, as a man in camo fatigues waved a knife in her face. _What do I do he's going to kill me what do I do am I going to die what do I-_ Rinka's panic didn't even have a chance to reach her face before Asuma-sensei swung at the offending shinobi with his signature trench knives. The blade only seemed to graze the man, yet Rinka could sense the whirling energy coming off of the knuckle-knife, and so wasn't surprised but still was horrified when the ninja's head separated from his body, sending blood spurting into the air, and dousing her with more than a bit of it.

Rinka's scream served to break Ami out of her malaise, and Kakashi-sensei's barked order snapped her to attention. "Get Rinka and the other civilians to the shelter, now!" She blinked, momentarily unsure of what to do, the time she spent not moving enough for another shinobi to try and ambush them. This time, Aya was the one to react, driving a dagger into the woman's chest, and as she simultaneously flipped away and ripped her weapon out of the corpse, spraying the gathered group with fresh blood, she lightly grasped both Ami and Rinka's hands, causing both to look to her.

"Come on, we need to go! The higher-ranked ninja will handle things here!" Rinka looked at her friend in wonder, while Ami broke through the daze brought on by the shock of the situation for a second time. Nodding to her friend, she wrapped Rinka in her arms, and leapt out of the arena, heading for the Hokage Monument, Aya and the other rookies following.

* * *

"NEJI!" Tenten screamed, as her teammate sunk under the huge mass of sand that had appeared from nothing. Distracted as she was, she didn't notice the gust of wind that would have blown her over the edge of the viewing platform if not for the intervention of her other – _still alive –_ teammate.

"You!" She spun, eyes locking on to Temari, who simply smirked, though there was a nervous glint in her eyes. Tenten didn't much care. She flung a barrage of weapons at the older kunoichi faster than she ever had before, fear for her teammate's safety fuelling her body, only for them to be easily knocked back by a gale that this time did knock her over the viewing platform, along with Lee and Shikamaru, who it seems hadn't broken out of the genjutsu.

The weapon user panicked. They were too far to adhere to the walls using chakra, and falling uncontrolled like this would probably not end well. Lee wouldn't be able to do anything either, not without ninjutsu. _Think, Tenten! What can you-_ A thin, unfamiliar arm wrapped itself around her waist, as well as Lee's. A tendril of shadow flew up from the arena, grabbing hold of the railing of the spectator balcony, as another extended from the ground, attaching to Shikamaru, who she realised must have been awake the entire time.

The shadow tethering them to the ground swiftly and safely brought them down, and the other tendril twitched, as if to pull them back up, but Tenten wriggled free from Shikamaru's grip before it could, instead running as fast as he could over the now desert-like arena to where Neji had fallen, scooping away the blood-soaked sand with her hands as she searched for her teammate.

She gasped as she finally uncovered him, bloody flowing freely from his head wound. He was breathing still, though it was incredibly shallow, and Tenten instantly knew that without medical attention this very second, he would die. She turned around to try and call for help, but as she saw the current situation, her breath caught in her throat and her cry for assistance died, as she began to realise what exactly was actually happening.

Konoha was _burning._

* * *

Jiraiya grunted, as he summoned Gamaken to combat the snakes that had breached the village walls. He'd known something was coming, but this? How long had Orochimaru been planning this for? He shoved a Rasengan into the stomach of some idiot who thought it would be as easy as getting to the top of his summon to deal with it, even as he jumped off, expelling a fire jutsu that incinerated three more shinobi.

His eyes flicked over to the exam arena, seeing the purple barrier that now covered the top of it, and again regretting his sensei's offer to be one of his honour guard for the day. "Tch." He grunted again, biting his thumb in preparation for another summoning. _Don't die, sensei. You might be old, but it's not time to bury you yet._

* * *

Genma leapt back as he spat a senbon into the eye of the jonin he had been fighting, hands blazing through the seals of his signature lightning jutsu. The Oto nin, to his credit, ignored the pain entirely, managing to catch Genma with his katana, biting into the tokubetsu jonin's thigh before he was electrocuted by the high voltage technique he fired. Genma dropped to a knee, clutching his shoulder where he had been hit earlier in the battle, a pained grin on his face.

 _Damn… Gotta find Raido and Iwashi. Hokage-sama needs us… even the ANBU can't get in that barrier. Three of us aren't exactly Sannin material or anything, but we should be able to turn the tide against Orochimaru-_ Genma rolled out of the way of the water bullet that another Oto nin fired, and turned to face him, when-

Blood filled his mouth, and he had no choice but to expel it violently as a blade of wind pierced right through him from behind. He looked over his shoulder with a shaky, bloodied grin, and stared into the impassive face of a Suna jonin who had half of his face covered by some sort of cloth. "It's you…" He realised, the dots connecting in his mind, and he would've sighed, had his lungs still been intact.

 _Sorry, Yugao…_ he thought, stumbling forward as the wind blade was ripped from his body. _At least someone'll get to avenge him, even if you didn't yourself._ He spun, hand reaching into his weapons pouch as he did. Baki was surprised at the speed he was moving, considering how injured he was, and so wasn't able to react before Genma slapped an explosive tag on his flak jacket and detonated it, the explosion engulfing the two of them and tearing apart the arena wall on top of which they had been fighting.

* * *

Ami growled, using her body to block off and protect Rinka as two Oto chunin creeped ever closer. She'd been separated from the other rookies, and a quick glance over her shoulder at a shivering, panicking Rinka very quickly told her she wouldn't be getting any help from her. _Not like I blame her… She might be a Senju with Wood Release, but she's also basically a civvie. That first training session proved as much…_

She grit her teeth. _I don't know if I'd be able to fight one of these guys while protecting her, let alone two… Are we done for? I'm not strong enough to do this! I don't even have a jonin sensei! What do I-_ In her mounting panic, Ami's gaze flicked to her right hand, and more specifically, the clawed glove that now covered it.

 _Dad said… only in emergencies, right? Isn't this an emergency!?_ She hesitated. The Oto nin were sneering at her. She had three, no, two seconds before they- _But… Mom! What if I-_ Her clenched jaw released, as the realisation that she really was about to die dawned on her, and she fell back, landing just in front of the cowering Rinka.

 _Someone… Someone, please! Anyone! I can't- I can't do this! Someone, anyone! Where are you!? Sakura, please! Saku-_ She gasped, the fear draining from her face as she did. _What would Sakura do?_ The Oto shinobi ended their menacing approach now that they were well within reach, their sneers becoming sadistic grins as Ami stood once again. _She'd never panic like this… At least she'd try._

Anger flashed through her eyes, and fury marred her expression as she bit down on her tongue. _And why the hell am I waiting on her to come fucking bail me out!? She fucking left- and it doesn't matter that she knew this would happen or not! She left without even saying goodbye!_ The wind around the area began to pick up. _That bitch… She needs to understand that you don't just do that. Not after that last conversation…_

She looked at the Oto chunin, and both of them stumbled back in shock at something in her eyes. _She needs to apologise. Before she gets a chance to give me that fucking smile and tell me everything worked out… Before she makes me forget why I was mad. That's not the point. I need to make her apologise. And I can't fucking do that if I let this Sound fodder take me out now!_

"Rinka." Ami quietly intoned, raising her glove to her face. "Close your eyes, and cover your ears." She continued, pulling off the glove, and flexing what lay beneath. "You won't want to see this." Ami said, sudden confidence filling her tone, as blue light began to bathe all four gathered there.

* * *

Choji stood back to back with his father, wondering where his friends and his teammates had all gone. At the very least, he knew that Aya was safe… He raised his hand to rub his cheek where she had kissed him, before running off to find Ami and Rinka. He was confident that they'd be fine. Aya was ridiculously strong, and Ami wasn't weak by any means. They'd be fine. Everyone would be fine. They had to be.

"Come on, Choji! Let's show these invaders what being an Akimichi is really about!" Chouza roared, and Choji along with him, father and son both expanding their arms to sweep away the gathered Suna ninja, along with countless others from their clan. The Akimichi were defenders, and in the event of a day like today, where Konoha's walls had fallen and her buildings were becoming cinders, they would become the barrier that protected the rest of the citizens. That's what it truly meant to be an Akimichi.

* * *

Kakashi grimaced as his hand became slick with blood once again. _Why do I always get the squirters…_ He thought to himself, driving the kunai hilt deep into the man's body to confirm the kill. Besides him, Gai was hollering something about youth or rivalries like he always did, kicking a man into and through a wall from the arena into the village proper.

Kurenai was busy slitting the throats of those she had caught in her genjutsu, while Asuma had been lucky – he'd managed to break off from them, and was on the lookout for all of their wayward students. _Although…_ Kakashi stabbed another kunoichi, her death punctuated by an explosion in the village. _Maybe we're the lucky ones up here._

* * *

Sasuke grunted as he narrowly avoided yet another slash at his face from the weird bone guy, retaliating with a kick that he easily blocked. Sasuke spun away from him before the other boy could have a chance to grab his ankle and slam him into the ground like he had before, quickly going through the handseals for his trusted Gokakyu, sending the inferno at the other ninja to hold him off.

He watched the man burn, silently thankful that Kakashi had made his and Naruto's training as intense as he had. As he was now, he could use two Chidori and still have some chakra left to fight, but that wasn't what he was really grateful for – that would be the extra tomoe Kakashi had essentially forced him to develop in his eyes. Without it, he was sure that this guy – whoever he was – would have hit him by now.

He spotted movement, reacting quickly and jumping off of the branch he was on, watching it get torn apart by some sort of bony projectile his opponent had thrown at him. He whipped out a kunai when his Sharingan predicted that the other boy was about to charge him, and so was able to hastily block his attacks by the skin of his teeth.

"You will be brought to Orochimaru-sama. You have no choice in the matter." The other boy said almost passively as they locked blades, as if he were talking about the weather instead of a kidnapping.

"Like hell I will!" Sasuke stared directly into the other boy's eyes, trapping him in a Sharingan genjutsu. His inexperience with them and his opponent's skill meant that he was only trapped for a moment, but that moment was all Sasuke needed, kicking him off of the tree they were perched on and driving a kunai into his chest.

To his surprise, Hinata burst from wherever she had been hiding, fiercely shoving the heel of her palm into the hilt of the knife, driving it into and then through the white-haired boy's body. Sasuke blinked in shock. He'd forgotten that she was even here. She landed on a branch below him, and Sasuke opened his mouth to congratulate her, before what should have been the other ninja's body rose from the ground, his wound sealing shut before their eyes.

"I am sorry, Orochimaru-sama, but I will have to injure your vessel." He said, seemingly to himself, as black markings began to creep along his body, coming from a central mark on his chest. "I will ensure that I keep the damage as minimal as possible." He said, pointing a sword of bone at Sasuke, his breath seeming to catch in his chest as he panted.

* * *

Ino wondered just how exactly she'd ended up fighting with the resident dog-boy, of all people. Couldn't she have at least been separated with a girl, or one of her teammates? Even Shino would've been better – at least he was smart! _Although_ , she noted as she watched Kiba and Akamaru both tear into enemies that would have taken her apart with reckless abandon, _he is decently strong. At the very least he's not lazy, not like that bum Shikamaru._

"Wahoo! We didn't get a chance to show our stuff in the Exams, but we'll show everyone exactly what we can do now, Akamaru!" His puppy howled in return, transforming into a clone of Kiba, and the two of them jumped into a spinning attack, ripping through the group of ninja blocking their path. Ino hopped along behind, watching where she stepped – she had no problem with killing or anything, but she'd like it if she didn't get blood all over her new leggings, thank you very much.

The two kept charging forward, following Kiba's smell to more and more enemy nin, neither one of them particularly remembering the order they had been given to retreat to the shelters. They shouldn't need to – if Kiba and Akamaru were capable of this much, they weren't in any _real_ danger, were they? Onwards they fought, leaving the Hokage Monument behind them as they creeped closer and closer to the destroyed village walls.

* * *

Shino found himself in what one might call a dire predicament.

The chunin that he had been fighting with had just been cut down, the older Aburame's panicking colony beginning to set his own on edge. This was less than ideal when now facing two opponents of unknown strength that should, by all rights, far exceed his own. Still, Shino remained calm. Out of anyone in his entire graduating class, he prided himself on having the greatest emotional control over himself, even outstripping Yamanaka-san, the mind-walking heiress being too focused on what most their age were to truly understand herself as Shino did.

Of course, that comparison was unfair to make. She was a Yamanaka, he was an Aburame. One from a clan who, while understanding the mind almost completely, had some of the strongest emotions out there, and one who retreated from the world and closed themselves off entirely, despite having a similar, yet no less comprehensive, understanding.

Why then, did the two clans act so differently? His father attributed it to their hives, and as Shino grew and understood his kikaichu more with each day, he found himself disagreeing with the idea more and more. The queens and their hives surely did have an effect on the Aburame psyche, but he knew for a fact that there existed Aburame that despite having a stronger hive than he, were more open and emotional than he had ever been.

His mother was one of them, after all.

Perhaps the Yamanaka had the right of it, then. They had seen something the Aburame had missed, understood something they didn't, and that was why they held their hearts on their sleeves. They knew that in the end, it was the better call. And one would be inclined to agree – the Yamanaka were both well-loved and powerful, while the Aburame could only claim to be the latter. It made sense.

Perhaps with that understanding, he could be more like Yamanaka-san. At that thought, a small smile crept up on his face. He once again was obsessing with the differences between him and Yamanaka Ino, as he often did in times of stress, as if it would bring the two of them closer together by magic. It seems that once again, his own mind betrayed him, proving he didn't understand himself as well as he thought he did.

But that meant there was still room to grow, and he was finally beginning to take that to heart, as Yuhi-sensei and Hyuuga-san had implored him to so many times before. He could not let the chance for further growth slip from his fingers, he reasoned to himself, which meant that he could not allow himself to fall like his brethren had. And so, as his colony billowed from his sleeves, he took the panicked colony of his dying kin unto himself, preparing to fight for his chance to grow.

* * *

Tenten was panicking. Neji's breathing on her back was becoming shallower by the second, and she couldn't find anywhere to take him – the hospital had already been overrun, and that had been in the opposite direction from the arena as the Hokage Monument – if she ran back to the shelter in hopes there would be a med-nin there, Neji would die before they even got halfway.

Besides her, shadow locked three ninja into place. She hastily threw a handful of kunai at the enemies that Shikamaru had mobilized, killing one, while Lee span into action, knocking out the other two with well-placed kicks. The three stopped for a second, Shikamaru visibly sweating from exertion, Tenten looking at him as she weighed options in her head.

 _He's exhausted. He can't fight any longer… We need to get him to the shelter. Running around here isn't doing Neji any good anyway… Maybe if Lee takes him, he can get there in time, get him healed…_ She gulped something down in her throat as a horrid thought came to her. _Worse comes to worst… an exhausted ninja is more useful than an injured one. Once Shikamaru regains his chakra, he'll be able to fight again, but Neji… who knows how long he'll need to rest to recover compeletely?_

 _If I have to abandon one of them…_ She furiously shook her head. _No! I'll save them both, I have to!_ "Lee-" She began to call, before an explosion rocked the air and a shockwave knocked all of them to the ground. She looked up at where the explosion had come from, only seeing dust and rubble remaining from the building. Slowly, two girls emerged from the smoke, one with purple hair and one with brown, both seeming uninjured.

"Ami, Rinka…" Shikamaru forced out, Tenten sparing him a glance. He knew these two? They hadn't been part of the Exams… "Did you do that?"

"Yeah." The purple haired one sighed. "Don't ask."

In a flash, another dark-haired girl appeared with the group, breathing a sigh of relief as she recognised those gathered. "You two are safe." She breathed, looking the two who had joined right before her, and they both nodded, the one with purple hair doing so with considerably more confidence than she had spoken with a moment earlier.

"Was there ever any doubt?" The black-haired one looked at her… friend? Teammate? Whatever – with a rueful smile, and while their little reunion was touching and all, Tenten felt it was prudent to remind them of the current situation.

"Listen, you guys are fine, so let's focus! We need to get back to the shelter. Shikamaru is exhausted, and Neji here is _dying-"_ Once again, Tenten was interrupted, this time by the arrival of enemy ninja. She grimaced, before the black-haired one took Neji off her back and Shikamaru crunched a soldier pill, wincing at the taste but standing ready regardless.

"We'll take him. Rinka's a civilian, so she needs to get there ASAP. We'll get your teammate their safely, I promise." Tenten looked at her cautiously, before deciding to trust her fellow kunoichi, and with a single nod, the two groups broke, the newcomers dashing off with Neji, while Tenten, Shikamaru and Lee engaged the enemy.

* * *

"Shit!" Sasuke cried, only barely managing to block the attack from the now tattooed enemy. Beside him, Hinata leapt out of the way of more projectiles, panting with exhaustion as she struggled to keep her Byakugan active. Whatever the white-haired boy had done had increased his power immensely, and it was taking all she and Sasuke had just to stay alive. She was glad she'd managed to finally step in when she had… Sasuke would have lost long ago if he were fighting alone.

Sasuke landed beside her, panting himself, but still having a decent amount of chakra left. Enough for a Chidori, at the very least. "Listen," He harshly whispered. "This guy heals whatever damage we do to him, and he's faster than either one of us. We're only alive because he's not trying to kill us." Hinata's eyes widened at those words, before thinking back on the fight.

"Yes… Now that I think about it…" She could think of no less than three instances where if this man had wanted, he could have easily stabbed right through her and then dealt with Sasuke, but each time he had simply knocked her away in a half-hearted attempt to knock her out instead. She winced as she thought of her bruised ribs, wondering how powerful this enemy truly was if that was him when he wasn't even trying. "But why would he not want to kill us?"

"He said he wanted to capture me, or whatever… And besides that, he might just be the type that enjoys knocking people weaker than him around. I've fought someone like that before." His thoughts flicked back to Wave. "And I know that their very nature is what leads to their downfall." Hinata glanced at him, but the boy's eyes had seemingly glazed over, reliving the fight against the Iwa nin that had awakened his Sharingan for the first time.

"The lightning technique I used earlier. I've got enough chakra to use it one more time… If I can get a direct hit, I should be able to kill him before he can heal it. I need you to help me land that hit." Hinata hesitated, looking at the white-haired boy who was simply staring at the two of them impassively, even if his breathing seemed somewhat laboured. Behind her, the sounds of battle raged through the forest, as she realised that Naruto-kun's fight was still raging on, and probably wouldn't be ending any time soon. _I'm the only one…_

"O-Okay. I'll… I'll do my best!" She responded as resolutely as she could. Sasuke gazed at her out of the corner of his eye, before nodding, and turning his attention back to the white-haired boy.

"Hey. You're pretty strong. What's your name? I'll need to know it so I can claim your bounty later."

"Kimimaro." The boy answered easily. "And you may do what you wish. _After_ Orochimaru-sama is done with you."

"How many times do I have to tell you… That's not happening!" Sasuke charged Kimimaro with startling speed, but the Kaguya was easily able to block the attack, the tainted senjutsu chakra flowing from the Cursed Seal of Earth powering his body to levels that Sasuke simply could not match as he was now. But Sasuke wasn't alone, and he flipped away as Hinata charged in with a palm strike, the faintest trace of visible chakra forming a halo around her hand.

Kimimaro, of course, could easily tell that that technique was not something that he could afford to be hit by, and leapt to avoid it, but in a way the Leaf genin hadn't expected, diving forward past Hinata's outstretched arm and suddenly exploding outwards into a pincushion of bone. Hinata slipped back on the mud out of shock, and if not for Sasuke's timely intervention, tugging on her hoodie and pulling her backwards, she likely would have died.

As it was, she still was stabbed thrice in the chest, and had a severe laceration on the arm she had been trying to attack with, where one of the bones had entered it and had then sliced down almost its entire length, cutting down to the muscle. Hinata gripped her injured arm, doing all she could to not shriek in pain, only letting out a whimper instead, as Sasuke angrily glared at Kimimaro, before rolling under a slash that would have sliced his neck open.

It seemed that for whatever reason, their opponent had decided that he would stop going easy on them, and was now attacking with the intent to kill. Sasuke couldn't tell what had brought on this change in behaviour, but as he ducked below another attack, he caught eyes with Hinata, seeing that she was alright.

He quickly stepped back, making distance between him and Kimimaro, as Hinata leapt at him from behind. Their opponent paused, before a huge amount of bone sprouted from his back in an attack that would surely impale Hinata long before she reached him. The bones pierced her body in a spray of blood and the light left her eyes, before she disappeared in a poof of smoke and a log was instead stuck on the bone.

Kimimaro's eyes widened, and he quickly retracted the bones, the log dropping to the ground, as his eyes turned to Sasuke again, the sound of chirping birds filling the air as the Uchiha's hand tore right through his chest and destroyed his heart. Sasuke ripped out his hand, causing the Oto nin to stumble backwards, and he began to cough up blood. "Impressive…" He managed to gasp out with the last of his breath.

"But not quite enough."

Sasuke's hair stood on end and Hinata's eyes widened, as fear threatened to overtake them both. They could both clearly see the chakra being released by… _something_ on his chest, thanks to their dojutsu, but more than that, they could both _feel_ it. It was intense for sure, but that wasn't the issue – it was simply _vile._ Unbelievably so, as if they were sensing the energy of a yokai that had crawled up from the depths of hell.

They watched as the gaping hole in Kimimaro's chest sealed itself shut without a problem, and the markings on his skin began to cover him completely, leaving him with darkened skin and hair. His eyes looked like the sand monster that Naruto was fighting – black sclera with golden irises. Four spikes of bone jutted out of his back, and they watched disgusted as a tail began to grow from the base of his spine.

Kimimaro looked at Sasuke, a black mark framing his eyes and nose. The intensity of that disgusting chakra had lessened, but its vile feeling remained, even as the now grey haired ninja began to speak, sweating profusely. "I truly am impressed, Uchiha Sasuke. I did not think I would have to use the Cursed Seal at all, let alone its second level against one such as you, even if you have had assistance. I fully understand why Orochimaru-sama has chosen you. I absolutely cannot fail him now."

"How many times do-"

Sasuke was sent flying by Kimimaro's fist to his gut, slamming against a tree and sliding down it until he came to rest in a seated position, coughing up blood. Kimimaro glanced at Hinata, clearly taking in the fear in her face and posture. "I do not wish to kill you, and I can see that any desire to fight me is long gone. If you do not interfere, you will live." That nuisance dealt with, Kimimaro walked over to where Sasuke was sat, growling at him through bloody teeth.

"Do you give up?"

"Never!"

Kimimaro sighed, closing his eyes. "Fine. Then I will-" The leader of the Sound Five was engulfed by the flames of the fire jutsu Sasuke had surreptitiously cast, using most, if not all, of the chakra he had left. The fire abated, leaving Kimimaro completely unharmed, and with only a slight look of annoyance on his face, as if the jutsu were Sasuke throwing a tantrum. "Are you finished?"

Sasuke looked up at Kimimaro in shock, almost not being able to believe that his attack hadn't worked, when Hinata appeared, thrusting one desperate palm strike into Kimimaro's side. He looked at her in annoyance as well, backhanding her and sending her flying across the clearing. "Stay out of this. I don't understand why you wish to throw your life away over this. Your friend won't even- Won't even-"

Kimimaro collapsed to the ground, retching blood into the palm of his hand. He had used too much power. His illness had been acting up before the invasion even began, but he had forced himself to be present once Orochimaru-sama had personally requested him. But now… the healing he had done over the fight, and the chakra he had expended… It had accelerated his cancer and weakened his body. He was dying.

 _My apologies, Orochimaru-sama. I am a useless servant who cannot even accomplish a task as simple as retrieving a single genin. I am sure that you will be victorious even without my assistance from now, but… I wish that I had been able to serve you for longer._ Kimimaro did not panic, or beg. He had known this was coming. He had tried to hasten the fight, but that had only caused his cancer to accelerate further and his body to weaken faster.

 _I wonder, had I not used the Curse Seal… Would I have survived this day? …Perhaps. But what's done is done. It's far too late for regrets._ "Uchiha Sasuke… I may have died this day, but mark my words – Orochimaru-sama will have you be his next vessel. I swear it." With that, Kimimaro lowered his head, closed his eyes, and died.

Sasuke stared at the body for five seconds, overcome with shock, before Hinata came over, clutching her arm, left eye beginning to swell shut. "Did you do that?" He asked.

"N-no. The Gentle Fist… It's not capable o-of something that extreme."

"…So we just got lucky…"

"It s-seems so…"

Sasuke sighed, realising just how close he had come to becoming a… _vessel,_ or whatever it was he had been talking about. He tried to stand, but stumbled to his knees – or would've, had Hinata not caught him. She nervously smiled at him, and though he wanted to scowl, he couldn't help himself smile back, even if just for the fact they were alive.

"Come on. Let's go help that idiot."

* * *

Isago could barely believe what was happening. The Leaf had had no idea that their attack was coming, that they were already in the village, that it'd be the joint forces of _two_ villages attacking them. Yet somehow, Oto had lost more than a third of their forces, and Suna a fourth. Baki wasn't responding to any attempts to contact him, and Orochimaru, that snake, was still locked in battle with the Hokage. The chain of command had been disrupted completely.

And despite the damage that those damn Leaf nin had done to their forces, _somehow_ they had only lost a handful of their own shinobi. It was as if they just suddenly got stronger as the situation deteriorated, which sounded fucking ridiculous, but he had no other explanation as to what was happening.

Hell, their fucking _genin_ were ripping through the chunin rank-and-file like they were nothing!

"Baki said this operation was a mistake… Was this what he had meant?" Isago hadn't fought much with or against Konoha nin in the past, but Baki had told him many times of the sheer power the Leaf had. Whenever he began talking about it, Isago always just played it off to the immutable differences between their villages – where the Sand was a collection of families, Konoha was one of clans. Where Konoha had money and food, Suna did not. It was as simple as that, in his eyes.

Most of the time, Baki humoured the other jonin, not commenting on it after, simply telling him that one day he would understand. But there had been that one time he had challenged Isago, the first time they had had the conversation.

" _The Hyuuga, Uchiha, Aburame… All of those well-known noble clans, and the lesser ones too. That's what everyone always says Konoha's power come from. But let me ask you this – there's only one man in the history of the world who has ever gotten a flee on sight order. What clan was he from?"_

 _Isago stopped, thinking the question over. His superior had a point. The Fourth Hokage_ didn't _have a clan, did he? "Okay, fine, Namikaze was a genius, I'll give you that Baki-san. But he's an exception to the rule. You can't use his example to tell me that Konoha's power doesn't come from its clans."_

_Baki raised his one visible eyebrow. "Can't I? Okay, then. Who are Konoha's current top ninja?"_

" _That'd be… Gai and Hatake, right?" Isago blinked at the question. Baki nodded, before continuing._

" _And what clan's are they and the Sannin from?"_

_Isago blinked again, thoroughly confused at the question. "Well, Tsunade is a Senju… And Hatake is a clan, isn't it?" At that, Baki shook his head._

" _It's a clan insomuch that we have clans. What do all of these people have in common?"_

" _That they're ridiculously powerful?"_

" _No." Baki stood from the fire they were sat around, turning away from his friend. "It's that they, along with almost every Konoha nin you've ever heard of, did one thing. They all went into borderline suicidal situations that should have killed platoons of ninja just as or maybe slightly stronger than them…_

" _And they all survived them with barely a scratch. That's the Leaf's strength."_

_Isago was more confused than he'd been when the conversation started. Surely that just meant the Leaf nin were stronger than they thought? 'Whatever', he thought to himself, rising just as Baki had, throwing dirt over the campfire as they prepared to set off again._

"It must be. There's no other way – I _saw_ that kid fight and lose earlier today! He wasn't even close to as powerful then as he is now!" He murmured to himself, watching an Inuzuka boy claw the throat out of a chunin, as a blonde girl with him stabbed another one of his shinobi in the back as they tried to ambush the Inuzuka themselves.

"What the fuck is wrong with this village!?"

* * *

Orochimaru winced, as the pain in his arms intensified and the barrier jutsu fizzled out of existence. Kabuto was by his side almost instantly, like the good pet he was. "Damn you, Sarutobi-sensei…" He hissed at the corpse of the man he had once considered a father. "How goes the battle, Kabuto-kun?"

Kabuto readjusted his glasses. "Not well. Initially things seemed in our favour, but from the start we were taking heavy losses without dealing much damage in return. At this rate, they'll almost certainly repel us if nothing is done."

Orochimaru scowled, though he was impressed. Konoha was nothing if not resillent, though he supposed he should have expected that. It was the village that had birthed him, after all. "I cannot fight like this. I suppose it's time for our retreat. This should have bought Kimimaro-kun enough time to have retrieved Sasuke-kun at least, so it shouldn't be a total loss…" He glimpsed at the Sound Four as they entered the first stages of their Cursed Seals, fighting against the ANBU that had gathered.

"Order the Sound Four to ensure they kill as many of the ANBU as possible before they retreat. And if that old project of mine appears… He gets priority. I do not wish to have a Wood Release user to fight against." Kabuto nodded.

"And the rest of the troops?"

"Don't tell them anything. All the ones I care about are back in Oto."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama." A clone split from Kabuto, as he went to help Orochimaru up, a devilish grin marring his face. "You know… I have you completely at my mercy now. What's stopping me from ruining the rest of your body and watching you squirm?"

Orochimaru simply huffed exasperatedly, having gone through this routine countless body. "Oh, do shut up, you foolish boy. I want to get out of this dungheap, today preferably."

"As you wish, _master_." Orochimaru rolled his eyes at his subordinate's insubordination, as the two of them left, making a beeline for the edges of the village.

A tall man in a red vest and green kimono watched them go. "Not this time." He said, leaping off the giant toad he was on, chasing after them as they entered Konoha's surrounding forest.

* * *

Rinka shivered, as a civilian doctor put a blanket over her, watching no less than three med-nin crowd over Neji's limp body in an attempt to heal him. "Will… Will he be alright?" She asked nervously, looking up into the eyes of the doctor, he smiled at her warmly, expression fading as he turned his glance to the Hyuuga scion.

"That I don't know. Your friend was very injured, and had been for a while. If you had taken any longer to get to the shelter, he very well might've been beyond our help. As it is, it's very touch and go… But our medics are some of the best. I'm sure they'll be able to help." Rinka smiled at him shakily, and the doctor almost faltered. _They'll probably be able to save his life… But only Tsunade would be able to get him back to how he was before the injury. But I can't tell her that… She doesn't even feel like a ninja. I fear it'd completely break her…_

Rinka hugged her knees, fear, disappointment and shame clawing at her heart. Disappointment that Neji might not be okay, shame that she was so useless, fear that her friends were all probably in danger. And she couldn't do anything about it.

She sat there, waiting.

* * *

Naruto had honestly thought it would be harder to fight this guy. _I mean, everyone was talking about how strong he and that Neji guy was, and looking at him now, he's probably even stronger than he was during their fight._ Yet despite that, Naruto was kicking Gaara around like a ragdoll, the other boy seemingly completely unable to defend himself against Naruto's clones and Rasengan.

He grinned. "Guess I'm just that strong!" He yelled, him and fifty other clones charging Gaara with fists raised and Rasengan howling, while Hinata watched in awe with her mouth agape, while Sasuke looked at her with a knowing smirk.

"Not what you expected, huh?" She shook her head. She'd known Naruto-kun was strong, but this… it went beyond her wildest imagination what she was seeing. "Yeah," Sasuke continued. "That idiot got pretty strong over this last month. I'm pretty sure he'd beat me in a heartbeat." Hinata glanced at Sasuke after that admission. It was something she'd never have thought he'd say, back when they were in the Academy, and it served to show how much he had changed since then.

Both of these two had become unbelievably powerful, and had changed for the better… and she was still the same weakling she'd always been. If not for the fact she was holding up Sasuke, she would've completely retreated into herself.

"I won't… I won't lose to a guy like this!" Gaara roared, evidently having had enough. A huge amount of sand erupted from the ground, dispersing more than half of Naruto's clones as it did, and raising a huge cloud of dust. The dust cleared, leaving only a massive creature of sand behind, a single tail swishing behind it. Hinata and Sasuke's eyes widened, as they both took in the size of the thing, and the amount of chakra contained in it.

Naruto wasn't scared, though. Gaara was shouting something from atop the things head, but the blond paid him no mind, summoning three clones, two of which grabbed him and the last clone, throwing them up into the air as hard as they could. They flew up, higher than even where the creature stood, and as a Rasengan span to life in his hand, Naruto's other clone grabbed his arms, throwing him back down, on a direct collision course to Gaara.

Naruto roared as he pulled his hand back, ready to score a direct hit and end the fight. He couldn't wait to tell everyone about who he'd beaten, and how strong he was. He bet Kiba wouldn't believe him, but he'd just beat him up, and then he'd have to. Sakura-chan would be so impressed when he told her, when she finally came back. Maybe then they could go on a date!

A tendril of sand sprouted forth from Shukaku's head and ripped Naruto apart before anyone could blink, and Uzumaki Naruto died before he even knew that he had been hit.

Sasuke's pupils dilated and his hair stood on end, while Hinata watched the shower of blood that had once been her crush splatter all over the maniacally gloating Gaara. "No…" She whispered. "NOO-"

Her shriek of anguish was halted by Sasuke, who clamped a hand over her mouth. "Quiet! Shut up! We can't let that thing remember that we're here!" Tears streaming down her face, Hinata had no choice but to nod in agreement, even through her sudden grief noticing that Sasuke's eyes were sporting a black and red pattern she had never seen before.

Gaara's wild laughter quickly faded into Shukaku's hysterics, and now that the Tailed Beast was in control, its eyes raked the surrounding area, spotting Konoha in the distance. "I can play with them over there!" The beast crowed as if it had just made a new friend, and lumbered over to the village as fast as it could go.

Sasuke and Hinata remained silent until it was long gone, before Sasuke eventually removed his hand from the kunoichi's mouth. "We need… we need to go back. And warn everyone." Sasuke said, doing his best to not completely lose himself to the tsunami of emotion that was threatening to overwhelm him. Hinata nodded, knowing that if she spoke at all, she would break into complete hysterics, and the two of them followed the walking weapon of mass destruction as fast as their injuries would allow.

* * *

The scene that awaited them back in Konoha was one of complete chaos.

The thing had seemingly _walked through_ the Hokage Monument on its return to the village, destroying the shelter as it did, and now was in the centre of the village, fighting countless shinobi and destroying everything it came near. With the Byakugan, Hinata was able to see that a man she thought she recognised as Neji-nii-san's teacher was fighting, along with Kakashi-sensei. She wasn't certain if she was right however, as the man's chakra was… red? And she could see flames coming off of him… He was meant to be a taijutsu practitioner, wasn't he?

Whatever or whoever he was though, what he was doing wasn't working. His attacks would blow huge portions of the creature away, but they would reform almost instantly as the thing gathered more sand. It opened its mouth, sending three huge bullets of air ripping through the village, completely destroying the main entrance and the surrounding area.

As she scanned the rest of the village however, Hinata saw something that made her heart go cold, and she immediately let go of Sasuke, rushing over as fast as she possibly could. "Damn it, Hinata! Wait- Argh." Sasuke tried to shout after her, but his body wasn't responding to him. He'd used too much chakra, and he was injured from the fight. He could barely move.

"S-Sasuke!" A familiar voice called, and he felt hands wrap around him from behind and what seemed to be a wet face press into his back. "Sasuke, you're safe! Oh god, you're alive!"

"Rinka…" Sasuke breathed, painfully turning around to look at her. "You're alright… At least that's-" He stopped, thinking about what had just happened earlier in the forest. Rinka, normally one who was quite empathetic, was so caught up in her own distress that she didn't quite catch Sasuke's.

"Sasuke, what's going on?" She asked tearfully, hands clenching his shirt as she looked up at him. "I was in the shelter, but then suddenly that… that monster destroyed it. I was okay, but there were… So many people were…"

She began to cry openly into his chest, and Sasuke felt his heart clench. He didn't know what to say to her, but what he did know is that they couldn't just stay here in the street. He was about to interrupt her to tell her as much, when two shinobi landed in front of them, stopping Rinka's crying for him as she heard them.

Sasuke grit his teeth, straining his body to push himself to his full height and get Rinka behind him. "Rinka… run. You need to get somewhere safe." He grunted, sweating, pulling out a kunai in an attempt to try and intimidate his new opponents. Rinka looked to Sasuke and then to the enemy nin in shock, not believing what she was seeing.

It seemed that their enemies had had enough of the situation, charging Sasuke as he readied himself to defend. Rinka watched in disbelief, everything seemingly happening in slow motion. _Sasuke's going to die… And then so am I. Why now? Why me? I don't-_ A voice in her head spoke to her.

_You wanted to be a ninja, didn't you?_

After a moment, she realised it was her own voice. _Yes, but-_

_Then now's the time. It's now or never, quite literally. You know what to do._

And Rinka found that she did. Even as she shut her eyes and clasped her hands together in a prayer, she felt her chakra leaving her chakra, sprout in the earth beneath them, and then rise from it again in a new form. She opened her eyes, seeing the two enemy ninja impaled by wooden stakes. And oddly, despite the fact that she'd done this herself, seeing those bodies… It didn't bother her like all the ones before had.

_Because you know you had a reason. Senseless death is disgusting…_

"…But death to protect another is… acceptable." She whispered to herself, understanding a little more about herself now. Sasuke turned to face her, a little shocked that she'd done that and wasn't freaking out, ret relieved at the same time. She gave him a shaky smile, before really taking him in again, gasping.

"Sasuke, what happened to your eyes?"

* * *

Hinata gasped, even more tears coming to her eyes as the scene she had seen from afar turned out worse than she had even expected. The Hyuuga compound was _demolished,_ sand covering almost everything she could see. It was the only clan compound that the monster had seemingly gone for purposefully, and Hinata found herself wondering if that was because of Gaara's earlier fight with Neji. When she thought back on that, it felt like days had passed, while really the fight had began less than an hour prior. The attack had truly been that swift.

She clawed her way through the sand-crusted debris, searching wildly with her Byakugan for any survivors trapped by the fallen rubble, even to the point where she was nearing chakra exhaustion. All she received for her efforts were visions of her kin, head and branch family alike, smothered by sand and crushed by what had once been their noble home.

Everything caught up to her at once, and a wave of nausea hit her, but the sound of fighting alerted her to what she thought might be at least _some_ surviving clan members. Trying and failing to shake her sickness away, she rushed over to where she had heard the combat, not noticing that her lack of chakra had caused the Byakugan to deactivate.

She turned the corner, only to see her father, in robes stained bloody red, fiercely fighting against three enemy ninja. Beside him, she could see her little sister, lying face down in a sea of red blood. She almost ran out to help, when a fourth nin dropped down from the sky, running her father through the back.

She couldn't help but gasp, and all of the gathered shinobi's eyes flicked towards her, her father's included. Blood bubbled at his lips as he tried and failed to speak, but Hinata was a Hyuuga, meaning she was an adept lip reader. Even so, what he had mouthed was obvious even to someone who had never even attempted to read someone lips before.

Run.

And she did, turning back the way she had come, her muscles and chakra straining as she pushed both as hard as she could, finding two jonin that saw the enemy on her heels and quickly engaged, allowing her to escape. Once she was sure she was safe, bile rose in her throat, and she expelled the contents of her stomach, crying and vomiting freely as the last few pillars of her world crashed to the ground around her.

"…ata-san. Hinata-san!" A voice called, breaking through her descent into despair. She turned to see the injured face of one of the jonin who had just saved her. "Good, you're back with us. Listen, you need to join one of the evacuation parties. We don't know if we can push the tailed beast back, so if the worst happens… well, at least you'll survive. Do you understand?"

Hinata nodded dumbly, listening to what the man said but not really hearing him. The jonin could tell, but he didn't have the time or the energy to deal with a despairing girl, even if she was the Hyuuga heir.

"Good. My partner over here is leading one away now. If things go… poorly, it'll likely be a while until we can…" The man's words faded into static as Hinata fainted.

* * *

"What do you _mean_ we have to evacuate!?" Kiba yelled, before his mother smacked him to the ground viciously.

"Listen, pup! I don't care how tough you think you are, you are _not_ fighting a bijuu today if I have anything to say about it." Tsume snarled.

"But-"

"Shut it! This is just in case. When we take it out after about five more minutes, we'll go and get you back into the village. Understand?" Ino looked at Kiba's mom as she said that. She could fool him, but not her. The adults… they were all preparing to _die_ , so they were sending all of them away so they could rebuild… eventually.

She wasn't sure she wanted to do that. Seeing that monster crush three people right in front of her… and even worse, hearing the cries of the people it attack but _didn't_ kill… She never wanted to be anywhere that could get her anywhere near it. Let alone the chakra and killing intent coming off of it. Ino's left hand grabbed the wrist of her right, trying to stop the shaking.

"Kiba, she's right. We'd just get in the way here. It's better to let them deal with it." Ino added, trying to convince Kiba to leave. She didn't understand why he wanted to keep fighting in the face of that monster. They'd been together for the whole attack, didn't he see what she had? Akamaru was whining too, pulling on Kiba's leg away from the sand-thing. Attacked from all sides, the young Inuzuka had no real choice but to obey.

* * *

Shino wasn't entirely sure how he'd gotten himself in this position, dueling one on one with a jonin level opponent. The fire jutsu user had already taken out half of his normal colony, and a third of the ones he had assimilated from his brethren earlier. Shino knew that this was a horrible match-up for him, and also that in terms of skill, he was completely outclassed. For once, he couldn't seem to find the light at the end of the tunnel.

Lucky for him then that Rock Lee emerged from the burning, destroyed streets, smashing into his opponent with a Leaf Hurricane. The Oto nin was sent flying, and seemed to stick in place the moment he regained his footing, before being perforated by a multitude of flying weapons. The ninja looked down at his wounds before he collapsed to the ground in a splash of blood.

Shino looked, panting, at his saviours, all three of which looked worse for wear, Shikamaru especially, sporting an angry cut that ran down the side of his face. The Aburame uncharacteristically chuckled. "First you defeat me in the Exams, and now you save my life. Will there be no end to the embarrassment, Lee-san?"

Lee scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, but Shino did not hear what he was about to say, as his kikaichu alerted him to danger. Jumping in front of his… friends (?), he released what was left of his colonies, using them and his body to defend against the enemy jonin's final attack.

* * *

"RINKAAAA!" Ami screamed, having run back to the shelter the moment she had seen it be destroyed. She couldn't find any trace of her, no matter how hard she looked, and her heart dropped as she began to fear the worst. In the distance, she saw a large group of civilian looking people leaving the village, and looked around of what was left.

Almost everything was either rubble, covered in sand, on fire, or some combination of the three. Dead and dying corpses of ninja and civilians lined the streets, which were beginning to run red with blood, though the sand was ironically doing a good job at soaking up a lot of it. And in the distance, the battle against the huge sand thing still raged on, not looking like it would be stopping any time soon.

Though she hated herself for it, Ami thought about things rationally – if they still hadn't made any progress beating that thing, they probably never would. That meant Konoha was done for, at least in the sense that this physical location was dead and buried. And… Rinka was probably dead. Even with the power that she had now, she wouldn't be able to do anything against that thing, but…

She looked again at the refugee group leaving. Unlike the majority of the refugee groups, that one seemed to be mostly civilians, instead of more evenly split. And she could see at least a few people that she had run into at the shelter in said group. If Rinka was alive, she'd definitely be one of the ones evacuating, which meant chances were…

Ami dashed for the refugees, tears flying from her eyes as she did. She couldn't help but feel as if she was just running away.

* * *

Jiraiya stared at the bodies of Orochimaru and his lackey, sweating profusely. It had taken longer – and been harder – than he had expected, especially considering his former teammate's arms were useless, and he had literally just come out of a fight with someone called the God of Shinobi. The fact that he'd had to enter Sage Mode to be sure of the win… He shook his head. He was slacking.

It didn't matter now. The chase had gone on for quite a while too, but since he was in Sage Mode already, he saw no reason to turn it off, so the journey back would probably only be… what, five minutes? Then he could help the jonin clear off the stragglers and then get himself straight out of there before that insane council even thought of naming him Hokage.

He smiled grimly. Things certainly hadn't gone perfectly, but they could be much worse.

* * *

Things could not get worse.

Tenzo stole a glance at the rampaging Ichibi, knowing that this invasion would already be over if not for these four. The four teenagers all looked like demons, and while they had absolutely no semblance of unity or teamwork whatsoever, they still paradoxically worked together extremely well, ensuring he was always off-balance. A single second was all that he needed to turn the tides, but they simply refused to give him one.

He grunted, as the large one planted a fist in his chest, and he felt his sternum crack. That's what he gets for getting distracted. With that one blow, Tenzo knew he was done – there would be no chance of victory or escape if he was injured as badly as he thought, and so he ignored the four Sound teenagers completely, instead turning to Shukaku, and unleashing his strongest Wood jutsu in an attempt to restrain it, before a golden arrow ripped through his chest and his world went dark.

* * *

Isago looked with glee at the remaining Akimichi he and one of the three last elite squadrons had managed to restrain in the wake of Shukaku's attack. He smiled at the beast, glad that the Kazekage's demon of a child was finally good for something. "Alright, men. Take them back to Suna. We'll discover first hand where Konoha's power comes from!"

He wished he'd been able to capture the Hyuuga, or Inuzuka or something, rather than Konoha's living obesity warnings, but a clan was a clan, and deep down, Baki's words resounded in his mind. And if Baki was right, then it hardly mattered what clan they were in. He walked up to one of the youngest Akimichi they had restrained, pulling off his strange, underwear-shaped forehead protector as he did. "Suna's possessions don't need Leaf hitai-ate."

* * *

Lee and Tenten stood back to back, looking at all the ninja surrounding them. There were at least seven, with more joining as they spotted the easy prey, and Tenten began to shake at the prospect of defeating them while also protecting the now completely drained Shikamaru, and the injured Shino.

Shikamaru could move if absolutely forced, but Shino… Half his face was burnt to the muscle, and his right arm was so badly scorched and mangled, Tenten feared they would have to amputate it. Not to mention the plastic in his coat that had melted and fused into his skin and open wounds… It made Tenten sick, and she wasn't even looking at him directly. He was dying, just like Neji had been.

"Tenten-chan… Please, give Gai-sensei my apologies for using this without his permission!"

Tenten was confused, both by the words and Lee's darkly serious tone. "Lee, what are you-"

"Eight Gates, release! Gate of Opening, release!"

* * *

Jiraiya couldn't believe what he was seeing. He had sensed it when he had been halfway back, but he hadn't believed it until he had seen it first hand.

Konoha was in ruins. Not even the Hokage Monument and Hokage Tower were still standing. And in the middle of the village was a raging Shukaku, breaking free from some wood restraints. Jiraiya didn't hesitate, immediately charging forward at the raging beast. Unlike the other shinobi who had been fruitlessly attacking the bijuu itself to essentially no effect, Jiraiya knew what he had to do to defeat Shukaku, leaping up and over it to land on the thing's back.

Once there, Jiraiya saw the out of control jinchuriki, and his fingers lit up. He easily dodged Shukaku's futile attempts to brush him off with sand, seeing them before they even hit him, and thrust his hand into the jinchuriki's chest. The Five Pronged Seal did exactly what it was meant to, instantly cutting off his connection to the Ichibi, and he and Jiraiya both began to fall to earth as Shukaku broke apart into sand with a cry of fury.

Without warning, while they were still falling, a puppet emerged from nowhere, tackling Jiraiya in mid-air. As the puppet pushed him back, a blonde girl on a fan caught the unconscious Gaara, continuing her flight straight out of the village, as the puppet disengaged, also flying up to the girl on the fan. Jiraiya watched them go, briefly considering chasing after them before deciding against him.

All around him, he saw various ninja and civilians who hadn't been fighting and instead had hidden emerge at the disappearance of Shukaku, just as the ones who had currently been fighting him turned to look at him. Jiraiya knew that they were all looking to him for what to do next, and as well they should – this was his fault. If he hadn't been so gung-ho in going after Orochimaru…

He could've directed them on what to do against Gaara. It would've been simple. And instead, half the village was dead, and another third had no doubt ran, whether in refugee groups or by themselves.

So If he caused it… He would have to fix it. "Gather everyone still alive up. We'll push out all the remaining stragglers, and then…" He paused, before sighing.

"We'll go see the Fire Daimyo."


	36. Uchiha Sasuke

**A Life of its Own, Interlude**

**Such is Life**

**Uchiha Sasuke**

The quiet creak of the hospital room's door opening returned Sasuke to the waking world, the sound of a sliding door still being somewhat unusual to him in place of the squeaky hinges the Leaf had adopted. He began to raise his head to see who had entered, but quickly realised he needn't have bothered, Rinka swiftly approaching his bed before clambering in it with him.

"Hey, you-"

"Shut it." The girl snapped, wrapping her arms around his waist and laying her head on his chest, tenderly clutching his shirt.

"Rinka-"

"I said shut it. When I want you to talk, you'll know." Seeing that he had no real choice in the matter, Sasuke's mouth clicked shut in compliance, looking down at the strange girl they had found just a couple of months ago in confusion. Minutes passed without her saying a word, and once he realised that she wasn't going anywhere soon, Sasuke began to relax, getting more comfortable despite himself.

Twenty three minutes passed with them together like this, Sasuke finding his eyes and hands drawn to the older girl's long ponytail, and only barely keeping himself from stroking or playing with it. He thought it was unbecoming, and also… He struggled to mount a defence as to why not compared to why he should. His internal struggle was interrupted by the object of said struggle finally deigning to speak again, as he felt her clutch become tighter.

"Shino died today." She said solemnly, currents of sadness and anger flowing through her voice. Sasuke both now instantly understood why she had come, and yet, had no idea what to say in return. It was just something about her – with most, he didn't speak because he didn't _want_ to. But Rinka just made it so he couldn't.

"Oh… that's a shame."

"Is that all you can say!?" She replied, raising her voice and her head, looking at him through angry tears. For his part, Sasuke shrugged as much as he could through his injuries and still prevalent exhaustion.

"What else can I say? It's no secret that I wasn't particularly close to him. It's not that I don't care, or even that I'm not sad… It's just… there are a lot of people who died in the Crush. People who I… cared more for. I can't fake a response that I don't feel."

Rinka wanted to be angry at how matter of fact he was, but she also knew that he was telling the truth – he was emotional, even more so than her in some ways, but in this one he wasn't at all. She couldn't be mad at him because of the way he handled grief. And… it's not like it was his fault, either. "It's not fair…" She almost cried again, burying her head in his chest.

"It's okay. We're still alive, after all." He said, losing his mental fight as his hand went to her back and rubbed it tenderly, both out of desire to comfort and fear of rejection. Rinka's only response was to hold him tighter.

Sasuke's gaze turned to the table beside him, looking at the note that had appeared there the first time he had woken up that day. "Rinka… I need your help with something."

* * *

Sasuke finally made it to the place the note had said to meet, Rinka helping him walk where he still couldn't move his body as fluidly as he wanted. A quick scan of his surroundings showed the park that they were in was empty, apart from a single man sat on a bench. His hair was black, but he was turned away from the two of them, so Sasuke nor Rinka could see who it was. "Are you the one who wrote this?" Sasuke called out as he limped over, with Rinka's assistance.

"Yes, I am." A familiar voice said, one that made Sasuke's blood run cold. The other man stood, turning around, Itachi laying eyes on his brother again for the first time in years. "Wait." Itachi said, calmly yet solemnly, and something about his voice caused Sasuke to stop, the venom in his expression and the words he was going to spit at his murderer brother halting momentarily.

Itachi sauntered over to the two of them, and Sasuke found himself looking into his eyes. They weren't the ones that were burned into his memory, the pinwheel kaleidoscopic eyes that had shone with naught but death and pain. They were black, just like his own, and the only thing Sasuke could see in them was the deepest amount of sorrow he had ever witnessed. And so it didn't take him by surprise when his brother bowed to him deeper than he had ever seen anyone do before, Rinka jumping slightly at its suddenness.

"Forgive me, Sasuke. Your foolish older brother has made one too many mistakes this time."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked warily, unsure if this was just a ploy or not.

"I will tell you everything. But I can only do it if we're alone." Rinka's grip on him tightened, and Sasuke stood defiant, bolstered by it.

"No. Anything you tell me, she also deserves to know." Rinka looked at Sasuke in surprise, having hoped but not believed in this outcome occurring, while Itachi rose back to his full height, looking at Sasuke, then at Rinka in wonderment.

"Sasuke, this involves our clan's deepest secrets. Are you sure-"

"Yes. She's not going anywhere." Itachi hadn't expected this development, but… He smiled. His little brother had found someone to trust. Good.

"Alright then, Sasuke. Let's start at the beginning."

* * *

Jiraiya sighed. The Fire Daimyo had been incredibly gracious in hosting what remained of the Leaf ninja in his own capital, and even in giving Jiraiya an office of his own to work out of now that he was essentially the Fifth Hokage, but… He had never wanted this. He'd much prefer to be out on the field than behind this stuffy desk.

_Careful, Jiraiya. It's exactly that kind of thinking that got us here in the first place._

He shook his head, moving back to the paperwork in front of him, when the door to his office slammed open as much as a sliding door could.

"What the FUCK!?" screamed that young Uchiha kid, storming into the room along with that Senju girl that he'd been thinking about training and-

"Goddammit." Jiraiya grimaced, rubbing his hand on his face. "What the hell are you doing here, Itachi?"

Itachi raised a hand, stalling his younger brother and allowing him to take charge. "My mission was predicated on the fact that while I was gone, Sasuke would be kept safe. Given recent events, I believe that it is no longer possible for the Leaf to accomplish that, and perhaps it never could in the first place. So because of that, I terminated my mission as my payment was no longer valid, and returned so I could protect my brother myself."

"Itachi, we need-"

"You do not need my information. It became useless to you the moment that Uzumaki Naruto died." All three of the others in the room flinched at his name, but Itachi pressed on. "That being said, his death has completely thrown the plans of Akatsuki, as at the very earliest, the Kyuubi will take three to four years to reform. The organisation is in chaos, helped in part by my leaving, I'm sure."

Jiraiya looked at him, digesting the information. "That being said, Itachi, I can't just accept you back into the village. You're an S-rank missing nin and the rest of the village-"

"Will listen to whatever you, and more importantly Sasuke, the person what your predecessor had me do affected most, say on the matter. And besides, you and I both know that what remains of the Leaf is severely underfunded. My presence can easily help with that, as I can complete missions to a higher calibre of everyone here other than yourself. And there is also this."

Itachi calmly pulled a scroll out from his pouch, unfurling it. His hand hovered over it and in a poof of smoke, Hoshigaki Kisame's head appeared, Itachi clutching it from the hair. Rinka looked away from it, the gore too much for her even with her changed philosophy. Itachi continued, undeterred. "You can claim his bounty. I also have his body in a separate scroll, so any secrets hidden within are ours too. And of course, I claimed Samehada."

Jiraiya stroked his chin at this news. "That makes two of the blades."

Itachi blinked. "Two?"

"Didn't you know? Zabuza was killed and we took the Kubikiribocho. Your brother was one of the ones on the team that defeated him." Itachi stole a glance at Sasuke before looking back at the man who was to be his leader.

"Regardless. Surely this is enough to convince you, Jiraiya."

Jiraiya sighed again, knowing that this was going to be a source of headaches in the future. "The fact that you're here already means that you're staying no matter what I say, so what's the point in arguing? Welcome back, Itachi."

The door swung open again, a hurried looking messenger entering. "Jiraiya-sama! Message from the Swamp daimyo for you!" He stated, placing a scroll on his desk before quickly retreating out of the room.

"Swamp daimyo?" Sasuke repeated, anger at what the Third and Danzo had done to his brother and his clan forgotten at the thought of one of the people he cared about that was _still alive._ "That's from Sakura!" He shouted, causing Rinka to jump in alarm as well. He scrambled forward, trying to reach the scroll, but Jiraiya swiped it from the desk, breaking the seal and reading it aloud.

"Ahem… _Jiraiya-sama, Hokage-sama told me that a team would be coming to relieve me and that I would return once that happened. Is that still the case?..._ Short and to the point."

Sasuke shouted again, while Rinka frowned. Something about that didn't seem right. "The answer's yes, obviously. She needs to-"

"I don't think so, kid."

Sasuke stared at the man for a second, anger and hatred bubbling up inside him before he released it in a rage. "What do you _mean_ you don't think so!? She needs to come back!"

Jiraiya sat back in his chair, a stern look on his face. "Why don't you think back to what your brother was just talking about, huh? About the fact that we're low on manpower and our funds are almost non-existent?"

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. She's one kid, doing an S-rank mission, for three years. The only S-ranks that normally take anywhere near that amount of time are deep cover missions, which are all village funded, meaning we make no money off of them whatsoever. This is probably the first time in Konoha's history that we're getting paid this much for one mission, and if you looked at the numbers then you'd agree with me that I don't care if this kid's stronger than I am – she's probably going to do more for this village in these three years with that money than she will for the rest of her life.

"We don't have the manpower to go send out a team and only get one genin back – she's not that important, no matter who she may know or be teamed with. This is a win-win – we make money that we desperately need, and all we have to pay for it is, let's be honest, one girl who's maybe above-average in talent. This is all also assuming that the Swamp daimyo even honours the mission if she leaves and a team takes her place – civilians are fickle, and very stupid. There's no guarantee that'd happen.

"It simply doesn't make sense to have her come back. It'd hurt us in every way imaginable. I've made enough mistakes by following my emotions, brat. It's time to do the smart thing for once." Jiraiya succinctly stated, turning back to his paperwork. "Dismissed, all of you. If you're good, I'll let you write her a note."

* * *

Tenten smiled sadly at her bedridden teammate, wondering when he would finally wake up. Beside her, Shikamaru also watched Lee's rising and falling chest, thinking much the same. The injuries the other boy had after opening five of the gates to protect them and Shino were severe – the civilian medics were dumbfounded by them, and had said he likely never would be able to walk again. Shikamaru struggled to come to terms with why would sacrifice so much for them – two boys he barely knew. He could've just taken Tenten and run.

Tenten of course knew that Lee would never even think of doing such a thing, and she also knew that even if he never were able to be a ninja again, or even if he never woke up, he would be overjoyed that he had managed to protect his peers like he had set out to do. "Selfless to a fault…" she muttered, causing Shikamaru's gaze to flick over to her. "Just like Sensei was." She stood, turning away. "Come on, Shika. They'll tell us when he's up."

* * *

Sasuke snorted as he walked out of Jiraiya's office. Any respect that he may have ever had for that man had been lost the moment he'd placed money as a higher priority than his teammate. "Tch." He grunted, walking out onto the bustling streets of the capital, wishing that his brother wasn't currently out on a mission.

Itachi seemed to think that he had some kind of redemption he needed to fulfil, and so was spending almost all his time away from the city. Next time that he saw him, he needed to beat into his head that he was forgiven. It hadn't been his fault. His hands were tied, because of the weakness of the Hokage, and the desires of that Danzo character, and that masked man. Sasuke didn't know who either of them were, exactly, but he at least knew they must have lived in the village.

He (not-so-silently) hoped they had died in the Crush. Painfully.

He made his way to his state-sanctioned apartment that Itachi and he shared – or would, if his brother remained here for longer than a day. He made enough money to pay for it himself anyway though, no thanks to Jiraiya – the old sage had promoted him to chunin a week ago, right before his mission, despite his protests. Said that he was overqualified even by regular Konoha standards – and in times like this they desperately needed more capable shinobi.

In the back of his mind, Sasuke knew that the distinction barely mattered – Naruto was dead ( _I'm such a failure of a teammate)_ , Sakura was gone, and Kakashi was missing – had been in the month since the Crush. No one had seen him since he had fought what Sasuke now knew to be the Ichibi. Team 7 was effectively disbanded, so Sasuke would've – and had – been treated as a chunin anyway.

"Sasuke!" He heard a distant voice call, which he ignored. His focus right now was on missions. If Jiraiya was just going to promote him as he liked, then waiting for Sakura was no longer an option – he'd simply rise through the ranks so that he could go and get her himself. If he was going to do that before her mission was over though, he would need to work quick – so he had no time for any-

"Sasuke!" Distractions, like her. His career was the most important thing right now. He couldn't afford any time not spent training, or working. He walked up the outer stairs to his complex, pulling out the keys to his apartment, quickly unlocking the door and sliding inside- "Sasuke, stop!" A hand stopped the door from closing, and quickly wrenched the door open, revealing a furious Senju behind it.

"What do you want?" He sighed haughtily. "I don't have time for-"

Rinka stormed inside, slamming the door shut behind her, and jabbed a finger into his chest, staring into the boy's eyes. "Don't give me that shit, Uchiha! Why are you being such an asshole!?"

"I told you." He said coldly, grabbing her hand off his chest and throwing it away from him, though he took care not to hurt her. "I don't have time for distractions. Or you." Rinka looked at him, mouth agape, almost unbelieving that he had said that.

The slap came out of nowhere, turning Sasuke's head to the side, the speed and power of it idly making him note that Rinka must have been training. He looked back at her, eyes impassive, but what he saw almost made him break – there wasn't any anger in her eyes like he had expected. Only tears, sorrow, and shame. His own eyes widened imperceptibly as he realised the magnitude of what he had done.

"How could you say that, Sasuke?" The boy found himself, once again, lost for words. What was it about her? "I know you're hurting. You're hurting so much. Even with your brother coming back, I know that you can't stop thinking about him. About Naruto." Sasuke flinched, and Rinka's hand touched his cheek. The Uchiha flinched away from the contact again, stepping back and almost hitting the wall of his small apartment.

Rinka faltered at his reaction, but continued. "But you're not the only one! Everyone lost something in the Crush, Sasuke. You don't need to push us away. You don't need to push me away! He was my friend, too!" She reached for his face again, and this time he let her touch it, looking at her like a caged animal, more vulnerable and wary than she had ever seen him.

"If you don't want the rest of them to see what you're going through, then fine. But you have to let someone see the real you, otherwise the pain will never go away. Itachi-kun can't do it if he's never here, so… Let me."

Sasuke looked into her eyes again, drinking in all of the unrestrained emotion he could see in her pink orbs. He didn't say a word, simply pulling her close. He felt more than heard her breath hitch, and Sasuke glanced behind him and to the left, to the hallway leading to his room, making sure he remembered the way there.

His eyes met hers again, and they both leant forward.

* * *

Sasuke woke to find Rinka in his bed in a familiar position, the exact same one she had gone into when she had clambered into his hospital bed a few weeks prior, though with one difference. Even the slight movement of him moving to look at her was enough to wake the habitually light-sleeper, the rippling movement of the muscles on his bare chest enough of a stimulus to bring her into the realm of the conscious.

They remained like that for a while, both not daring to say a word while they digested the events of the day previous, now that their emotions had cooled drastically. Sasuke chose to break the silence.

"I think that that might have been-"

"Don't you dare say that it was a mistake." Rinka snapped, holding onto his chest tighter.

Sasuke sighed, conceding the point. "Maybe not a _mistake_ , per se. But… maybe not the right time."

Rinka looked up into his eyes, considering. "Do you regret it?"

"No." He said simply, not even having to think about it.

"Then who cares. No one has to know if we don't want them to. As long as we're happy." Rinka's grip changed, her arms lightly wrapping around his neck, the girl herself rising up so she could plant a kiss on Sasuke's cheek, before snuggling up to him even more intimately, and the two of them fell asleep once again.

* * *

Rinka walked into the huge park that slowly but surely, the Fire Capital's new standing shinobi force were claiming as their training ground, looking and feeling slightly dishevelled. A tall man leered at her as she approached him, a knowing grin on his face. "Oooh, Rinka-chan! What have you been up to? It looks like you had a fun night – or maybe morning?"

"Shut up, Jiraiya-sensei." She scoffed, smiling, "Let's just get started."

* * *

Aya snorted, dark thoughts threatening to consume her mind again. She couldn't believe how cold the standing Hokage was being! They _knew_ without a _shadow of a doubt_ that the missing Akimichi were all in Suna – they'd been seen when the Sand nin had been taking them away! _Why wouldn't he let her go save them!?_

"Focus, Aya." She muttered under her breath. "Later… after the mission." She saw Shikamaru looking at her weirdly, but she didn't really care. He'd been spending all his time with that other girl… Tenten, wasn't it? She supposed it made sense – his team was gone, apart from his sensei, who was constantly working now, his father was nowhere to be found, and Yoshino-sensei hadn't woken up yet. Who else was he going to talk to?

"It doesn't matter anymore… No one cares, anyway. Not now." She muttered again almost inaudibly, silencing her wandering thoughts and focusing only on reaching the target area for the mission. Shikamaru watched with worry, seeing the girl he had come to see as a friend – a sister, even if she was a troublesome woman – regress and devolve under the stress and grief the Crush had put upon them all.

* * *

"Why am I here, Jiraiya?"

The toad sage looked sternly at the teenager in front of him. In the six months since they'd met, he'd grown a decent amount in height, and a good deal more in power. He carried a sword now, though not something like a katana or a ninjato like most – it was a chokuto, strapped behind his waist. His attire wasn't much different, having changed his blue Uchiha shirt for a black long-sleeved one, though still wearing those white shorts. His hair was longer, too. He was looking more and more like his brother by the day.

Jiraiya sighed, knowing that he was never going to get this kid to address him properly. He actually liked it, though. Kept him grounded, reminded him that he needed to get out from behind this desk as soon as possible. To that end…

"You know that me being in charge was only a temporary thing. I'm only the one behind the desk because I needed to be in our time of crisis, but now that we have a stable foundation again, we can focus on recovery, instead of survival."

"And?" Sasuke replied instantly, unimpressed.

"And so to do that we need to have our own land again. The Fire daimyo's been very gracious in allowing us to use his city, and has assured me time and again that we don't have to leave… But you and I both know that we can only grow back to full power once we have a new village."

"Obviously." Sasuke snorted. Jiraiya didn't really get why this kid hated him so much. Well… actually, he did, or at least had an idea, but still. It seemed a minor thing to hold so large a grudge on, to the point where Jiraiya had worried multiple times that Sasuke knew the truth about Naruto's heritage, and how much of a failure he really was. "Why are you telling me this?"

"As I said, my position is temporary. When the village is finished, we'll need a new Hokage, the real Fifth. I'm not going to do it, and between you and I, I don't trust any of the elders to do it either. There are only two real candidates left with that in mind. Those being Sarutobi Asuma, and your brother. However, I also already know that both of them want it as little as I do."

Sasuke had an idea of where this was going. "So?"

"So… Those two are the only ones who are currently qualified. But we have multiple people who could be, in the near future. There are three particular standouts."

"Me, Rinka, and Aya."

"Exactly." Jiraiya nodded. "Shikamaru is a consideration as well, but I don't think he'll ever quite be able to muster up the power necessary. The Nara are support fighters and strategists, and the Hokage has to take up the helm of the battlefield in times of war."

Sasuke had no time for Jiraiya to beat around the bush. He just wanted to be done with the man as quickly as possible. "And so you've called me here alone because..?"

"Because you're the best candidate of the three. Rinka will be incredibly powerful, and she's got a good head on her shoulders, but… She's only been an active shinobi for three months, trained for six, and lived in the shinobi system for eight. She doesn't have the right mindset. That comes with time, time that we don't have."

"And Aya also doesn't have the right mindset. She's too focused on the people around her."

"Mm. Not a bad trait for a Hokage to have, for sure, but in a time like this… the many have to come before the few. She would be too biased to those close to her, and we can't afford that right now."

Sasuke's eyes glittered darkly in the evening light, the setting sun enveloping the office in deep vermillion. "Don't I have the exact same problem though, Jiraiya- _sama_?"

Jiraiya ignored the jab, choosing to press on. "Yes, but not to the same extent. You're unbelievably hot-headed, but the difference between the two of you is that words and logic will get through to you when you're on an emotional high. And like I said, we don't have time to wait for a better option. Beggars can't be choosers."

Jiraiya seemed to pause, before sighing. "Besides, there's another reason… why Rinka – and perhaps Aya too – wouldn't be the best choices."

* * *

Rinka heard the door to Sasuke-kun's apartment slam shut, and so curiously crept out of his bed, seeing the boy in question simply stood in the main room, looking away from her. Apart from slamming the door shut, he seemingly hadn't done anything, but just by looking at him, she could tell that he was absolutely livid. She knew now how best to calm him down, and so quietly crept behind him, slipping her hands around his waist, and leaning into his back.

She realised that he was taller than her now, suddenly, and as he turned his head to look at her, his rage-filled Mangekyo Sharingan faded back into his regular black eyes. "What happened?" She asked simply, and he turned his head away again, speaking into the air away from her.

"Your sensei's an absolute bastard."

"You always say that. What'd he do this time?"

"Did he tell you that he was considering you to be the next Hokage?" At that, Rinka disengaged from her boyfriend, looking at him with surprise, causing him to finally turn to her.

"He what?"

"He told me that he wanted to get out of the job, but didn't have anyone good enough who wanted it, so he was gonna prepare a successor out of you, me, or Aya. He told me just now that he'd chosen me, even though he thought that you'd probably be a better choice in the long run. Know why?" The anger Sasuke-kun had entered the apartment with was beginning to flare up again, and despite the fact that she now had field experience, and had felt killing intent before, the sheer intensity of Sasuke-kun's rage was beginning to scare Rinka.

"Why?" She asked, almost terrified at what the answer could be.

"It's because we're fucking breeding fodder." Sasuke-kun seethed, pushing the words out through clenched teeth. "To make sure the village is powerful in the future, they want to use all three of us as breeding fodder to bring the Uchiha, Senju and Namiki back to power. And because of that, I'm the best choice for Hokage, because unlike the two of you, I won't have to take the next half a year easy every time they decide I need another kid!"

Rinka's hands went to cover her mouth, which had widened in a gaping O. She fell back onto the couch, utterly shocked. "Jiraiya-sensei said that..?"

"He said it wasn't his idea. That it was the elders. That fucking Danzo guy approved it!" Rinka recognised the name, remembering when Itachi-kun had told her and Sasuke-kun about what had really happened the day that their family had died and in the days leading up to it.

"I've fucking had it with them!" He shouted, slamming his fist into the wall. "Those fucking fossils, sitting up there on their ivory towers with the daimyo, telling him whatever he wants to hear while doing whatever they want to us! It's their fault things are like this to begin with, but are they the ones who have to pay to fix their mistakes? No, it's us! And I _can't fucking stand it anymore!"_

Rinka had seen her boyfriend get angry and emotional before, but nothing she'd seen compared to how fired up he was now. "But what can you do about it? They're the elders. Maybe Jiraiya-"

"Jiraiya's just as bad! How many times has he said it – he doesn't want the job, and he's only doing it because he has to. As soon as he has someone ready to be the Hokage, he's going to take off! It's the exact same thing the elders do – fuck things up for the rest of us, and then expect us to clean it up for them so they can just do it again later."

The sharingan spun to life in Sasuke-kun's eyes as he looked to her. "But no more. They've done enough. We'll clear up their mess, but that's it. From now on, we'll be the ones making the decisions, and if we fuck up, then fine! We'll fix it ourselves!" Rinka watched Sasuke, hearing the ambition and motivation in his voice that she hadn't since before Sakura had still been in the village, and found that she could do nothing but smile and nod.

She wasn't sure if what he was saying could really be done… but she also knew that Sasuke-kun wouldn't stop or give up until he did everything he possibly could.

Because that's what Naruto-kun would have done.

* * *

"Hey there, Itachi."

The man in question blinked, having genuinely not noticed the presence of the other boy. Either his little brother had been training, or… his eyes were even worse than he thought. "Hello, Sasuke."

"When's your next mission?"

"Tomorrow." Itachi said.

"You just went in to report a completed mission. Don't lie."

"I'm not. I'm taking on the workload of a team of ANBU by myself. Of course my mission frequency would be higher than normal."

"Itachi."

The older brother breathed in deeply, before sighing through his nose. "Fine. I don't have an assigned mission, though I fully intend to get one tomorrow. The distinction hardly matters."

Sasuke smirked for the first time since they started the conversation. "Good. Don't get that mission."

Itachi sighed again, having expected this. "Sasuke, I-"

"You couldn't see me earlier, could you?"

The question caught the normally unflappable Uchiha off-guard, though he still didn't take any longer to respond. "No, I couldn't." He said, answering honestly.

"And your illness is worsening. You want to cough your lungs out, but you're holding it back for my sake. Right?"

His little brother _had_ been training. "Yes, I am. But I don't-"

"Itachi, you're killing yourself by doing this. At this rate you'll be blind within the year, and dead in two. I won't let that happen."

"But Sasuke-"

"Listen to me, brother!" Sasuke said, anger flaring as he stepped forward, grabbing his brother's collar. "This is doing nothing but killing you. We're not on the cusp of extinction, we haven't been for a month! You don't have to do this anymore!"

"What would you have me do instead, Sasuke? I can't just show my face here. My missions are solo for a reason. I'm hated by the people of this country."

"It's simple." Sasuke said, releasing his brother and letting him recollect himself before continuing. "Do you remember what you said to me, the day you told Rinka and I the truth?"

Itachi blinked, having not expected this line of questioning, and shook his head no.

"You apologised to me, and said that you were sorry that the way that you had tried to protect me had caused me so much pain and had only ended up failing anyway. At the time, I didn't know what to say, and I was too angry at the village to think about it, so I just accepted it, and moved on. But now I do know what I want – what I need to say. So listen up.

"You did your best with what you had, and I don't blame you for doing what you were forced to do. And I appreciate the lengths you went to, to try and keep me safe. But you and I know now that it wasn't good enough. And while that's not your fault, the fact remains that you need to make up for it somehow. And killing yourself on missions isn't it.

"Your plan failed, but we're both still here. So… it's time for _my_ plan. And to go through with that plan, I need you _here, alive_ , with me. I need my brother by my side, and so you can't just go killing yourself. You understand, right?"

Itachi looked wondrously at his brother, thinking about when he had grown up. He realised that all he had been seeing before was the crying eight-year old he had left at the site of the Massacre, but the boy – no, the man stood before him was anything but a wailing child. Itachi struggled to form the words, his mouth suddenly dry. "I… I would be honoured, Sasuke. If you would have me."

"Good." Sasuke said, smiling again, something Itachi hadn't seen in years. If he could still smile… Perhaps then Itachi wasn't quite the failure he had thought he was. "First order of business, then." Sasuke said, looking up at his brother. "Let's go do something about those eyes."

* * *

"How long do I have to keep doing this for?" Sasuke heard Rinka complain.

"Not long." He heard Itachi respond to her. "It shouldn't take more than a couple of days for our eyes to acclimatise, then we can remove the bandages safely."

"Hmm…" He heard her grumble. "You should've told me about this weird Uchiha shit _before_ you did it. I didn't sign up for this. You should glad that Sasuke-kun's so attached to me; I'd feel bad if I broke up with him over this. He's useless without me, you know?" Even as she complained, Sasuke could feel Rinka hard at work taking care of the two temporarily blind brothers, and he could almost hear the smile that she no doubt had on her face now that Itachi was finally here to stay.

He honestly couldn't keep the smile off his face himself.

* * *

Sasuke's plan was rather simple, in both nature and execution. He was simply going to do what he said he would – remove the old, rotting elders and their dated way of thinking from power, and instate a new generation that would learn from their mistakes and fix them themselves. However, he was also more than smart enough to know that just saying that was easy, but doing it would be far harder.

The main concern in his eyes wasn't even the removal of the elders, as far as he saw it – aside from Jiraiya, they were all pretty much decrepit, and far past their prime. And even Jiraiya wasn't an issue – the man had said himself that he likely wouldn't be able to defeat Itachi if both of them fought full on, and now that Itachi's eyes had grown in power now that they were Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, it shouldn't be much of an issue if he had to be removed by force, which was unlikely in the first place considering he wanted out anyway.

No, Sasuke had two main concerns – the first being that while the elders were unnecessary, they were still _useful._ Again, this mainly lay in Jiraiya – the man was a wealth of information on ninjutsu, fuinjutsu, stealth, infiltration – the list went on. Sasuke wanted to be sure that they got as much from him as possible before they got rid of him, and to that end, now that the village had become stable, Rinka made the commitment to becoming the pervert's full time apprentice, stopping taking missions to ensure she learnt as much as possible before the day came.

The second concern was a much bigger one, that being the rest of the shinobi. Even _if_ the majority of the other ninja left in Hi no Kuni agreed with his point of view, simply taking over from the established chain of command wouldn't fly. It'd just spark a civil war, and that was if the ones who did feel the same as him spoke up about it. Most likely it wouldn't even get that far – he'd succeed on getting rid of the fossils, and then strung up by the rest of the nin for treason.

Though that outcome was still better than letting the bastards run what was left into the ground.

No, he had to pick his moment, and he needed to gather allies, too. If he could find the like-minded shinobi, then they would back him up and defend him in the aftermath of the day. If he was lucky, everyone would agree, though he knew that that was basically an impossibility. The best case scenario would be to build such a majority that those on the fence or who didn't care either way joined up with him since it was simply the smart thing to do.

Building up a rebellion like that… It'd take time. But he was determined. By this time next year, he swore he would have the forces he needed to accomplish his goal. What came after… well, that could wait. They'd need to elect a new Hokage after they won, after all. It'd be up to them.

* * *

"Aya."

The woman in question turned around, already annoyed that she was being delayed in going home and getting some chocolate. "What?" She spat coldly.

"I need to talk to you." Sasuke said simply.

"Well, I don't. Goodbye." She said, turning and stalking off.

"Fine. I suppose you don't really care about Choji that much, then."

There was a burst of movement, before Aya had Sasuke lifted up off his feet by the front of his shirt, an impressive achievement for someone so much shorter than him, and had a blade pressed against his neck. "Don't you _dare_ play games with me, Uchiha! I don't care _who_ your brother is, I'll kill you right now!" The display of anger and weaponry reminded the civilians in the street that _yes_ , they had shinobi in their midst, and the street quickly cleared, scared over the confrontation that was brewing.

To his credit, Sasuke stared down at Aya nonplussed, not looking worried at the least at the position she had him held in. "I'm not playing games with you. Let's talk, and you'll understand that I'm completely serious."

She snarled, before throwing him to the ground. "You better not be messing around with me, Sasuke! I swear to you, I-"

"I'm not." He said, calmly standing up and dusting himself off. "Come on. We'll speak somewhere else." Sasuke turned and walked away, Aya following after him.

* * *

Aya scanned the room, seeing more than a few familiar faces gathered there. Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei, a Hyuuga she'd been on a few missions with, Ino's cousin Nanami… There were more than she had expected when she had first followed Sasuke, but as she heard him, Itachi and RInka explain things, it made sense why there were so many. A lot of people were discontent with what had happened in the Crush ten months ago, and even more with how the village – not a village anymore, she reminded herself for what must have been the thousandth time – had been run since.

The elders had been gaining more and more power, not just over the shinobi, but over the capital, daimyo, and therefore the Land of Fire as a whole. This in and of itself wasn't a bad thing – many shinobi wished that they didn't have to answer to some fat, weak civilian in a palace and instead directly controlled the country. The issue was what they were doing with it.

A lot of people had gone missing in the Crush – more than how many had died in fact. This was due in part to the fact that those that had evacuated the village during the attack and had become refugees were counted among the missing, as a way to lay claim and give an out to anyone who found themselves in another village and wanted to return. However, almost no one had taken this out – in fact, they'd had more people leaving than coming in, and considering the fact that they'd had almost no births since, due to both the stress of the attack affecting those already pregnant and the death of others who were pregnant or in a couple, the number of active shinobi was in danger of decline.

Thankfully, most of the academy students active at the time of the attack had survived, mainly due to the fact that the Academy had its own shelter, separate to the civilian one in the Hokage Monument. This had meant that their shelter hadn't been destroyed, and so once the infrastructure had been set up, classes had resumed in the capital – meaning a fresh force of genin would be graduating soon.

There was also the benefit of the fact that since they were in the capital, which obviously had a higher population than Konoha, the new Academy had received an intake of students that it hadn't seen since Konoha's inception, meaning that in three to four years, their ranks would explode with new graduates, though the commitment and quality of the shinobi produced by the generations of civilians that had lived in the capital was yet to be seen.

However, despite this, the class due to graduate this year was lacking in numbers. They had less than they should, even considering the fact that even with their shelter, the Academy had inevitably lost a few students. What was stranger about this fact was that in the four empty slots that should hold genin about to graduate, at least two of them had been seen in the Fire Capital since the Crush, yet were missing now.

Both of the students in question had been orphans, one for as long as she could remember, and the other had lost his last surviving family member in the Crush. This was beyond alarming – as it meant that somehow, someone had kidnapped two academy students, and people hadn't even noticed until now.

Despite this knowledge, Jiraiya and the elders had done nothing about it. They hadn't increased security around the Academy, or at all – in fact, they lowered it, allowing the civilian parents in to wander and look around as they would in a regular civilian school. The utter lack of care they seemed to have for their students – their future men – disgusted a lot of people, and began to alienate those who had been giving them the benefit of the doubt since the Crush.

Considering that event – and more that had occurred in the last ten months, and seemed to be increasing in frequency as time went on – Aya supposed it made sense that so many had begun to rally behind Sasuke, because really he had a point – the current leadership weren't doing their jobs. Aya would call them borderline incompetent even, and even as she found herself agreeing with Sasuke, she scowled, not wanting to let him convince her so easily.

"What's stopping me from reporting all of you to Jiraiya, right now?" She asked, testing the waters. Most of the room immediately tensed, but Sasuke remained completely calm.

"Go ahead and do it. Just remember that you'll have been the one who ruined your chance of going to save Choji."

She flinched, but also knew that he was right. It'd been made clear by now that the current leadership had no intention of trying to save the wayward Akimichi clan, and she knew that this was the straw that broke the camel's back. "…Fine. I'm on board."

Sasuke smirked.

* * *

Jiraiya knew, of course.

Even if he hadn't been arguably the greatest spymaster on the continent, it wouldn't have been hard to find out what Sasuke had been up to. Though he did admit, he didn't do a _bad_ job of hiding things… It was just that he was better. He'd been a master at lying and deception twenty years before the kid had been _born_.

That was, of course, why Danzo and the other elder's more… _unsavoury_ antics were becoming more and more common knowledge. _Someone_ had to be leaking the info, obviously. Unfortunately, he couldn't stop them, not if he wanted to keep up the ruse, but he also knew he didn't really have to – Danzo might've survived, but ROOT, like ANBU, had been almost completely annihilated in the Crush, and Sasuke's faction was growing fast – fast enough that by the time they took over – and they would take over, Jiraiya would make sure of it – they'd be able to save the new blood he was trying to brainwash.

Idly, he thought about the fact that he could openly endorse them… But he knew it was best for him if he didn't. Working as Hokage, even for as short a time as he had, had completely exhausted him, and this way, once they threw him out, he could finally retire and just write his books.

Maybe now he'd have the time to write a sequel to that one that Minato loved so much.

But that was still in the future. Right now, he needed to focus on teaching the Senju girl as much as she could handle before they got rid of him, defaming the elders as much as possible, act like he had no idea about doing either one of those things, and make sure the 'village' didn't fall apart while doing it.

He knew that he was being selfish, but also didn't really care. If the kids wanted to take charge, more power to them, he didn't want the desk anyway.

And once it was gone, he could rest.

Maybe he'd travel with Tsunade. He'd have no reason to take her back here, and he was pretty much the only one who could find her, so… Yeah. That didn't sound so bad.

* * *

"What do you think, Shikamaru? Lee?" Tenten asked the two men, shifting to steady the still unfamiliar weight of Samehada on her back.

Lee seemed completely stumped, wishing that he could scratch his face, but knowing that trying with his crutches would just end up with him falling. In contrast, Shikamaru looked pensive, and he kept his eyes on the ground in front of him, avoiding looking up and making eye contact with all the people gathered that he knew personally, trying to come up with the best, impartial answer.

He looked Sasuke in the eyes before he spoke. "The elders and Jiraiya-sama haven't been doing a good job. On that, I think we can all agree. However, I also don't necessarily think that this is the right way forward. While it sounds – and is – well-reasoned, and what some might call righteous, from the outside looking in, it might just look like a grab for power. The other villages probably wouldn't like that."

"What the other villages think doesn't matter. It's because of them too that we're in this mess. And besides… if any village – and I mean _any_ – were truly concerned or worried about what was left of us? It would have been – still is, even – child's play for them to simply waltz in and take out what's left of us. If we're worried about the other villages that much, we may as well all retire now."

Shikamaru nodded, conceding the point. "Fine. What about leadership, then? You've organised this, are you planning on becoming Hokage once things are all said and done?"

At that, Sasuke snorted. "Hardly. We'll have a proper vote and election once we've taken our village back. That was always the plan. Happy?"

"What about infrastructure?"

"Shouldn't be changing. To call this a civil war, or even an uprising would be too much. Remember, I haven't called any of you here to fight – you're here so that when the day comes we all know that we all support it. Itachi and I will be taking care of any actual combat. If things go to plan, the civilians won't even realise anything has changed. It'll be that fast."

Shikamaru sighed, leaning back in his chair, thinking about what his father would do. "I can't think of anything else to pick holes in. But something is nagging at me. I don't feel like I can fully commit."

"You don't have to." Sasuke stated simply. "Even if you don't give your support, all I really ask for is that you don't oppose us, and accept whatever outcome occurs on the day. Can I at least get that from you?"

Tenten and Lee both looked at Shikamaru, both having come to trust his judgement immensely over the past year and a quarter they had known him. He sighed again. "This is all so troublesome…" He leaned forward, bowing his head and nodding his assent.

* * *

Danzo walked calmly through the dark, deserted streets of the Land of Fire's capital, not stopping to admire much of anything. This was his natural habitat after all – the shadows, and he had wandered and lived in them for so long that he had forgotten what it was to walk in the light.

Not for the first time, he thought that it was a good thing that Jiraiya had taken up the mantle of Hokage instead of him. He had feared at first the man would me far less receptive to his policies and ideas than Hiruzen was, and that stubborn old ape had been frustrating enough to get through to. He had thought that he would've been forced to use Shisui's eye on the man, and so to avoid that as much as possible, he had held back for the first few months, before testing the waters with lighter ideas to begin with.

He had been surprised at how little pushback or fight there had been. Jiraiya had for the most part, agreed with him and seen the logic in what he had been saying, and had gone ahead with his ideas with a few minor changes. He had been confused as to why Hiruzen's student saw things his way so easily, but then he looked at the man for more than a few seconds, and understood.

The man wasn't built to be the Hokage. Even those first few months had taken their toll – understandably so, due to how critical they were to their future survival. He was tired already, and he simply couldn't bring himself to fight as his sensei had – as he would, had he not been the one fighting every single day. He didn't have Orochimaru's ambition and curiosity, or Tsunade's stubbornness and instinct. Either one of them would have been a far better Kage, and neither would have been half as good as a puppet.

It was only a matter of time before he became the Hokage in all but name. Then, once the new ROOT's training was completed, he could step out from the shadows back into the light, and openly lead the village into a new era of power and prosperity, and crush the other villages under their heel.

He looked up, his one unbandaged eye seeing a shadow approaching him, that eventually formed into the visage of one Uchiha Sasuke. That one was a problem. He had caught wind that he was trying to start a little rebellion, of sorts. It surely would never get anywhere, but… Perhaps now was a good opportunity. He couldn't kill the boy, lest he face Itachi's wrath, but… He still had Kotoamatsukami. Itachi reportedly did anything his brother asked of him, so with a single use, he would bring both the wayward Uchiha under his control. And wasn't the Senju girl intimate with him as well? Even if he had to wait a decade before he could next use the eye, he concluded that yes, that was surely worth it.

"Uchiha Sasuke." The old man said, his face betraying none of his thoughts. "It's a surprise seeing you wandering the streets at this hour."

Sasuke looked up, seemingly having not noticed Danzo approaching. "Hm? I had an argument with my brother. I was clearing my head."

"I see." Danzo grunted. "Tell me, Sasuke. Do you know who I am?"

"Of course. Itachi told me about you."

"Then you surely know of ROOT." It wasn't a question.

"Yes."

"Good. I have a proposition for you."

"And what might that be?" Sasuke asked, turning to look at the man for the first time, and seeing that the bandages covering the right side of his face were undone, revealing a mangekyo under them.

"Join me and ROOT as its senior commander." Shisui's eye glowed, and Sasuke looked shocked for a moment, falling under the spell of Kotoamatsukami…

…And exploding into smoke a moment later.

"What-" In a flash, Danzo's right arm was sheared off at the shoulder, the wound instantly cauterized and sealed shut by the fire running down the blade that had severed it. Even as that happened, a second blade pierced through his chest from behind, as his eye closed, Shisui's sharingan becoming dormant after the use of its most powerful technique.

"You… You baited me into using Shisui's eye, and then took off my arm… To seal off my Izanagi." Danzo struggled to say through the blade in his abdomen. "How… How did you know about my eyes… and about the… Kotoamatsukami… Uchiha Sasuke!?"

"That's simple." Sasuke said from behind him, his voice changing as he did so. "I'm not Sasuke."

Danzo's remaining eye widened. "It was you all along… Damn you… Itachi..."

Itachi watched passively, letting Danzo's corpse slide off his blade, before reaching down and pulling Shisui's spent eye out of the cadaver and placing it in a special storage container, shooting a weak fire jutsu at the body as he did, burning it and the grotesque sharingan arm he had developed. "You can finally rest easy… Shisui." Itachi said, before disappearing in the wind.

* * *

The rest of the elders had been easy, not needing nearly as much caution or planning to take out. Upon hearing of Danzo's demise, a few of them even agreed to peacefully leave the city and never return, either to the capital or to wherever the new Konoha would be built. The ones that hadn't weren't too much trouble for Sasuke or Itachi to defeat. But now, the two brothers stood in front of the door to their greatest challenge in making this whole endeavour a success, aside from Danzo.

Nodding at each other, they entered the office, only to find it already stripped bare, Jiraiya sitting on the desk, waiting for them. "What took you? Danzo more trouble than you counted on?"

Sasuke blinked. "You knew?"

Jiraiya snorted. "What do you take me for, kid? Of course I knew. You're good, but not that good."

"Then… you're going to try and stop us."

"Hell no, I'm outta here. If I wanted to stop you, I'd have done it a year ago, before you'd even gotten started." Sasuke was beyond surprised at this turn of events, but Itachi had expected it. He refrained from commenting though, wanting to see how his brother would handle things.

"If you knew, and you weren't going to stop us… Why didn't you help!?" Sasuke began to raise his voice, anger getting the best of him. Jiraiya simply raised an eyebrow at this.

"I _did_ help. Where do you think all the information you used to sway people to your side came from? I was the one spreading all of it."

"Why would you..?"

"Kid, how many times do I have to say it? _I don't want this job._ You've given me the perfect opportunity to get out of it, and do what I want to do for the rest of my life. Why would I pass that up?"

Sasuke couldn't think of anything to argue that with, and so Itachi decided it was time for him to step in. "Will we be seeing you in the future, Jiraiya-sama?"

"Ha, not likely. I've taught Rinka pretty much everything I could – she never had the knack for seals, but she's got everything else I know. Anything you need me for, she'll be able to do just fine – once she's got some more experience under her belt. My job's done. As of today, I'm officially retired."

"I see." Itachi said, smiling. "Well then, enjoy your retirement, Jiraiya-sama."

"I will." The giant of a man said, grinning and opening a window to leap outside. "Kid!" He said, one last time, causing Sasuke to break out of his shock and look at him. "Remember what I told you. I chose you for a reason. Could the others have pulled this off?" Sasuke didn't respond, and Jiraiya didn't wait for him, either – jumping through the window and out of the city.

* * *

"I vote Itachi." Sasuke said.

"Anyone else?" Shikamaru lazily asked, a few scattered hands rising at his question. "Okay… and how many for Sasuke?" Instantly, more than two-thirds of the gathered shinobi's hands went up, most everyone trusting the man who had managed to get rid of the rot that was threatening to eat them from the inside out. "Well," Shikamaru drawled, "I think the answer's pretty clear there. Congrats, Sasuke. You're the Fifth Hokage."

Sasuke blinked. "H-Huh?"

The room erupted in a roar of approval, as shinobi Sasuke had met, worked with, and befriended over the past year and a half shouted their congratulations and ran up to shake hands with him. In the corner of the congregation, Itachi beamed with pride, seeing what his brother had become, and a certain woman with brown hair and pink eyes watched the entire ordeal, a smile on her lips and danger in her eyes.

The throng of people that had descended upon him thinned, and Sasuke looked around to see Rinka sauntering over to him, her eyes smoky with pride and something a little more primal. The ninja around them all fell silent, everyone's eyes on the two of them, as Rinka's finger twisted the fabric of Sasuke's shirt.

"We'll have to commission a set of robes for you, won't we?" Sasuke gulped, never having seen Rinka like this before. "Don't worry though. I'll be taking _all_ of your measurements later. Of course, if that's okay with you. It's fine, right, _Ho~ka~ge-sa~ma?_ "

Sasuke couldn't stop himself from nodding faster than he ever had before.


	37. Haruno Sakura

**A Life of its Own, Interlude**

**Such is Life**

**Haruno Sakura**

**Quick note – there's a lot of statistical info with skills and numbers in this chapter. If that bothers you, feel free to skip or skim the descriptions – they're mostly to establish the scope of Sakura's abilities, but how effective they are will be shown in story. I made this chapter a bit longer to compensate for all of that, too. Enjoy.**

* * *

Sakura couldn't believe her eyes. This… It must've been some sort of joke! There's no way that this was real – no way that her home had been..! But even as she tried to protest the idea that this ever could happen, her eyes confirmed it. The message held the official stamp of the Land of Fire, and of the Hokage. The code for the transmission was one that Konoha normally only used in wartime, and one of the more urgent ones at that. If this was faked, then there was a spy or infiltrator so high in the Leaf's ranks that it may as well have been real anyway – anyone who could've faked something like this essentially had the village wrapped around their finger anyway.

Sakura could do nothing but accept the message she held as fact, and so she continued to read it, terrified beyond all belief to what else it may hold.

_The village was attacked during the Chunin Exams by a coalition force of Sunagakure and Otogakure shinobi, the operation we now know to have been organised and spearheaded by Orochimaru, who himself was the leader of Otogakure. While we were able to eliminate Orochimaru, this came at the cost of the Third Hokage's life._

Sakura gasped, the words bringing tears to her eyes. Hokage-sama had fallen?

_The invading shinobi were being pushed back, and it had looked for a time like we would manage to repel the attack. However, Sunagakure's jinchuriki unleashed the full power of the Ichibi, and the devastating power of the Shukaku is what sealed our fate. I was able to seal it back within the jinchuriki after I finished off Orochimaru, but by that time it was too late._

_The village has been completely destroyed. As I said earlier, those who are returning to the country should report to the capital, as that is our new base of operations for now and the foreseeable future. Finally, for those of you worried for your friends and loved ones… The death toll was massive, and the number of people either still injured or completely unaccounted for even greater. However, I have compiled a list of those known to have been killed or missing at this time at the end of this message._

_This is the most dire situation the Leaf has ever seen since its inception. All of you who are returning, get back here as fast as you can, even if you have to tear all of the muscles in your legs to do it. And those still on mission, complete them to the absolute peak of your ability. The fate of our home very well may rest on it._

_\- Jiraiya of the Sannin_

The tears were truly beginning to build, as Sakura quickly moved on from Jiraiya-sama's main message, panicking as her eyes fell on the list of those missing and dead. _Please please please please please-_ Her breath hitched as she saw the first name she recognised, right at the top of the list.

_Akimichi Choji – MIA_

The first tear fell, as Sakura kept reading, hoping beyond hope that her friends would be safe. At least with Choji, it looked like a lot of his clan were also missing, so he was probably safe somewhere with them. He'd be fine. He had to-

_Haruno Kizashi – KIA_

_Haruno Mebuki – Missing_

Sakura choked out a sob, her hands shaking. She felt sick. She should stop- stop reading, not while she had tears and snot running down her face in an ugly cry, but something caused her to keep going.

_Hatake Kakashi – MIA_

"Even Kakashi-sensei!?" She managed to scream out between sobs, only barely managing to keep her emotions in check at this point, though she still continued reading. _It's fine. He's missing. He and mom… they aren't dead. They can't be. There's- There's no way._ Her eyes widened at the next name on the list she recognised, spotting that Hinata was missing, and then realising that an absolutely _absurd_ number of Hyuuga were either missing or dead, to the point where she thought the clan as a whole might actually die out from this event.

_Inuzuka Kiba – MIA_

Even though she didn't know Kiba that well – and didn't even like the bits of him she did know – just seeing _yet another_ name she recognised was almost enough to start her off again. She realised that with the alphabetical ordering the list with in, the _only person_ she knew even somewhat well that _wasn't_ on the list so far had been Shino, and that scared her even more, and yet she kept reading.

And the next entry almost broke her.

_Kokuma Ami – MIA_

She actually had to set the list down for a moment, fearing that her heart might burst apart from how fast it was beating. The repeated, non-stop gutpunches of people on the list had weakened her, and seeing _her_ on there… it made her blood turn to ice. She didn't just feel sick anymore, she _was_ sick, throwing up nothing but bile on the roof beside her, and turning back to look at the scroll with fear.

 _It- It's okay._ She reasoned, trying and failing to calm down, the emotional high being so great that even the Gamer's Mind's effect on her was minimal, mostly because even logical thinking wouldn't help at all in this situation, other than allow her to hope for those only listed as missing. _She's missing. She's only missing. Her, Mom, Kakashi-sensei, Choji – they're all fine. They have to be fine!_

Once she was over her emotional retching, she went back to the scroll, tears temporarily abated as she began to read again. She thought that she was through the worst of it, sighing in relief as Aya and Shikamaru weren't on the list, along with Rinka and Asuma-sensei. She flinched at seeing the Third's name, but moved on. The lack of names she knew had the double effect of buoying her, making her feel like the worst was over, but then…

_Umino Iruka - MIA_

She breathed a sigh of relief, and yet felt guilty at the same time. Seeing Iruka's name meant Sasuke was safe, but she felt bad about being happy to see his name. Still, she had never been particularly close to him. The only one who really had been was-

_Uzumaki Naruto – KIA_

Sakura screamed.

* * *

The first thing Sakura did upon finishing that list was send a message back to Jiraiya, asking about her current situation and her conflicting orders. As soon as that was sent, she retreated to her room, allowing absolutely no one in, where she wallowed in her own grief and remorse. No one saw hide nor hair of her until five or six days after she first went in, when a message returned for her. Even then, she exited her room for only a moment, for just barely enough time to take the message and go back inside.

Despite that, Touka managed to take a glimpse of her new mistress's eyes, and what she saw shocked her - the once vibrant, cheerful jade orbs that she had come to admire in some way looked… dead. There was no life, no vigour behind them, and more than anything, it made her fear that Sakura was about to take her own life in the clear ocean of grief she was drowning in. She tried to do what she could to comfort the other girl, but was completely ignored. It seemed that she would not allow anyone to help her, and so Touka hoped she was still capable of helping herself.

* * *

Seeing that her father was dead and her mother was gone had rocked her.

Seeing that Ami was missing had threatened to break her.

Seeing that Naruto was dead actually had.

Sakura's world had turned grey. She felt detached from the world, and nothing she did or said could provoke any emotion from herself. She sat on her huge bed, simply staring at the wall opposite her. She still couldn't believe it. How could Naruto have died? That idiotic, stubborn, childish, boorish, determined, talented, charismatic, amazing…

She hadn't even got to tell him that she believed he'd become Hokage.

A tear rolled down her cheek at the thought. She smiled bitterly. Turns out there _was_ something she could still feel. She brushed off the tear, getting up and standing in front of the mirror. She tried to smile, to get back that light, to be able to try and assure the people outside that she was fine now… but the smile looked fake. Even to her. So she decided not to bother. Her mouth set in a thin line, and her eyes held nothing in them but apathy.

She slipped into her black training top that had once just been her undershirt but was now pretty much her trademark, now that she had burnt her dress to cinders because of the memories she couldn't help but reminisce on every time she saw it, along with her black shorts. Her hitai-ate went on as a hairband, as it normally did, and she looked at herself again, seemingly ready, and yet… something was missing.

She turned around, seeing that pink scarf draped around a chair. She walked over to it, calmly, before hugging it to her chest, and then wrapping it around her neck, the thing being the only splash of colour in her outfit. Now she was ready, once she slung her weapons pouch on. She'd spent enough time moping. Jiraiya-sama had said she would be completing the mission herself, and she intended to do just that.

If not for herself, then for the few friends she had left.

* * *

Touka jumped in surprise, as Sakura strode out of her room. Her eyes still scared the servant, and yet… Something was certainly different. The air about her was different, or perhaps it was the way she carried herself. "Touka." She asked, her voice cooler and more even than Touka had heard it before, something about it lighting a fire inside her.

"Y-Yes?" She said, cursing herself for stuttering and making herself look a fool.

"Thank you for waiting on me. I'm fine now."

She obviously wasn't, but Touka… She found herself _liking_ something about this new Sakura, and she bowed her head not in respect, but more in an attempt to hide her rising blush. "Of course, Sakura-sama. I live to serve."

"Mm. Let's go." She said simply, walking off to the main section of the palace, and Touka quickly rushed after her, now more than ever endeavouring to follow this girl – no, _woman –_ wherever she asked.

* * *

The full case and trial of Abarai Honda and his goons came and went in the few months after Sakura left her room, but she found that she hardly cared, where before she knew she would have. Instead, she spent almost all of her time training, even moreso and harder than she had been prior to learning the state of her home. Every waking hour was spent doing some form of training, whether it was physical work or study to raise her stats, sparring with the samurai to train her swordsmanship, or outside with a clone to work on her skills. She ensured a clone was with Chichiatsu at all times, said clone completing whatever errands and tasks Chichiatsu had for her, replacing itself every four to eight hours.

As her stats and clone skills grew, the amount of time the clones could last for became exponentially larger, and Sakura found herself training that much harder because of it as the fear of not having enough chakra to form another clone quickly became a non-issue. Within three months, she was able to defeat some of the weaker samurai through sword skill alone, and she had raised her DEX, VIT, WIS and STR to 50 each, which both allowed her to gain skills for each skill, and finally meant she had finally met the requirements to learn Dawn of the Vermillion Bird, which she promptly did.

**Heroic Might (Passive) LVMAX  
An ability given to those blessed with tremendous power. The user possesses great physical strength, casually reaching beyond the limits of most men.  
50% increase to physical attack damage.  
50% increase to STR related skill effects.**

**Iron Body (Passive) LVMAX  
An ability given to those rare few born with surpassing vitality. The user possesses a body with great resistance to harm and unending strength to endure.  
50% increase to stamina recovery rate.  
20% decrease in damage from physical attacks.  
10% increase to total HP amount.  
10% increase to total stamina amount.  
30% increase to VIT related skill effects.**

**Amazing Grace (Passive) LVMAX  
An ability given to those with tremendous mastery of their own bodies. The user possesses refined control and coordination, displaying elegance in everything they do.  
50% increase to movement speed.  
30% increase to attack speed.  
10% increase to evasion.  
30% increase to DEX related skill effects.**

**Nature Affinity (Passive) LVMAX  
Long ago, Man, who was born from dust, realized the power of nature and the light that shines within all life, burning away the darkness. This skill increases the user's sensitivity and control over those forces, improving their affinity with the elements.  
25% increase in mana recovery rate.  
10% increase to elemental attack.  
10% increase to elemental defence.  
50% increase to element related skill effects.**

**Dawn of the Vermillion Bird (Active) LV1 EXP: 0.00%  
Legend tells that during the height of war, a majestic bird rose from the crack of dawn to end the battle singlehandedly. The penultimate technique of the legendary Suzaku, Lord of the South.  
500% increase to physical attack damage.  
500% increase to attack speed.  
500% increase to movement speed.  
500 HP used per minute when active.  
500 MP used per minute when active.**

Sakura was beyond pleased in the gains she had made, now having added a katana resting on her left hip to her regular loadout. Though she hadn't gained any levels, her massively higher stats and skill levels meant she was far more powerful than she had been, and she hadn't even used her levelling points to get this far. She was especially impressed with Dawn of the Vermillion Bird – while it required constant upkeep that meant as she was currently was it could only be used for a minute, the power boost it gave her was utterly ridiculous, especially considering that this _wasn't even the final skill._

That being said, she had taken note of how much slower her gains had come as the numbers had increased, and knew that eventually, if she wanted to make any meaningful gain in strength in a reasonable amount of time, she would be forced to use her points. Seeing this, she resolved to stockpile all the points she could until such a time came. That of course meant that she would have to _gain_ points somehow, and the best way to do that would be to kill people, as she had discovered with Abarai's thugs, which is how Sakura found herself eliminating a bandit camp.

* * *

The bandits were so weak that Sakura eliminated them almost instantly, her new sword flashing through the afternoon air as she sliced and slashed her way through the group of bandits. The fight, if you could call it that, lasted less than three seconds, and Sakura found herself feeling almost disappointed – the strongest emotion she had felt in months. They hadn't even been enough to level her up. She sheathed her blade and turned to leave, before she heard a groan behind her.

Turning back, she saw one of the bandits with a severed leg and several missing fingers trying to crawl away. She placed a hand on her blade, preparing to end him with a single swing… but thought better of it, instead slowly approaching the man, who tried in vain to scramble away faster as the spectre of death approached.

Sakura caught a fistful of the man's hair, flipping him over forcefully as he screamed so that he was face up. She then proceeded to almost straddle the man, sitting on his chest with her knees on his arms. Her eyes unfocused, the man in front of her disappearing, instead being replaced by a shadowy figure that she couldn't make out the features of, apart from one – a brand-new, gleaming Suna forehead protector.

She raised a fist, and then brought it down on the man's face like a hammer.

She beat his face in for what could have been three minutes as easily as it could have been three hours, endlessly smashing her fists into the skull of the long dead bandit until a spike of pain hit as she ripped open her knuckles on a shard of his skull. She returned to the world, hand covering her mouth as she took in what she had done and the utter devastation she had wrought on this man's corpse.

Disgust, guilt and shame filled her as she turned to the side and vomited out her spartan breakfast of fish and rice, yet still she couldn't help but feel the spark of pleasure that made her feel hot and slick deep down inside her.

* * *

Sakura fell into a routine again, still spending most of her time just training, but also eliminating bandit camps whenever asked by Chichiatsu. Despite her disgust and mental condemnation at what she had done at the first camp, she found that if her focus ever wavered while fighting, she would find herself in the same position, over and over. It was starting to happen more times than it didn't, and Sakura was horrified to think that she was beginning to like it, the dark pleasure she got from it starting to overpower the shame. Yet still… no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop herself.

She resolved to not think about it, instead thinking on her training again. She had gone from strength to strength, having now reached a level of kenjutsu and iaijutsu mastery that the only samurai she still couldn't beat was Toyohisa himself, and in only six months, too. Her skill training was going well, too – many skills being much higher levels than they had been before this training had begun, and she had developed countless new ones, too. Her stats however were beginning to stagnate, but she found that even now she just naturally was able to raise her INT and WIS easier than her physical stats, both of them having broken 100 while she struggled to reach STR 80, the threshold for Vermillion Bird of the South.

Her INT and WIS training had provided her with three skills each upon both hitting 100, and she wondered if there was a pattern – she would have to wait and see upon reaching 150 in a stat to check, though.

**Sensing (Active) LVMAX  
An ability given to those with the natural ability to perceive and detect the people and creatures around them through their chakra.  
Range, breadth and detail increase with INT, and related abilities.  
50 MP used per minute while active.**

**Medium Mana Capacity (Passive) LVMAX  
An ability given to the few mana users that are born with an exceptional ability to handle mana.  
Mana-based attacks are 15% stronger.  
10% less MP used for all attacks.**

**Mana Regeneration (Passive) LVMAX  
An ability given to those with a special heritage that allows for faster recovery of MP.  
MP regeneration increased by 100%.**

**Harmony (Passive) LV1 EXP: 0.00%  
An ability given to the few that are born with an exceptional insight into the patterns of mana and a great affinity for the elements.  
Grants resistance to elemental attacks. Resistance to a specific element is equal to the average resistance to all component elements.  
15% less MP used for all elemental attacks.**

**Path to Enlightenment (Passive) LVMAX  
An ability granted to those who have understood their purpose in life, and have begun to awaken and transcend their physical and mental limits.  
The threshold for increasing the user's statistics is decreased by a percentage of their WIS.**

**Mystical Generator (Passive) LVMAX  
An ability granted to those with accelerated mental faculties that are naturally bursting from the seams with excess magical power.  
Increases MP by 30%.  
Increases the effect of WIS and INT based skills by 20%.**

She wondered briefly what the skills meant by 'mana'. From context, they were obviously talking about her MP, meaning her chakra, but the fact that they consistently used that term was confusing, especially considering she'd seen skills that used the word chakra before. However, she quickly dismissed the line of questioning as irrelevant – whatever the case may be, the skills worked, and who was she to question her ability? She still didn't even know where it came from, or even everything it could do – she chalked that up as just another one of its oddities.

She was far more interested in a skill she had just gained the day before.

**Kundalini (Active/Passive) LV1 EXP: 28.10%  
The manifestation of one's soul, now too large to be wholly contained by one's mortal frame. Through training and focus, the user has awakened the very energy of their consciousness in the base of their spine, a power greater and truer to one's being than the imitation called 'chakra'. This energy, the purest form of divine femininity, allows one to light up the dark with their very soul and drive back those they consider evil. The effect of the user's 'Chakra Enhancement' skill may be enhanced by spending more MP.**

Even if she ignored how powerful this skill sounded, it was incredibly important and useful because it told her one thing – if she raised a skill's level to 100 and 'mastered' it, she could gain new, more powerful versions of that same skill for that effort. And considering any skill that reached level 100 was by definition already powerful and useful for her to use it so much… She returned to training with even more vigour, special attention now being paid to ensure she was always training as many skills as possible. She wanted to take advantage of this as much as she could.

* * *

Just as the Sakura that emerged from her room days after the Konoha Crush was like a different person to the one who had entered it upon receiving the horrible news, so too was the Sakura who had taken her place eighteen months after the fact. She could smile again – in fact, it was odd to find her _not_ smiling – but the smiles were… twisted. Not exactly genuine, in a way – they simultaneously hid and hinted at something more behind them, something darker, a notion reinforced by her deep gaze that glinted with the light of mischief, and to some, misfortune.

Some, like Toyohisa and Mitsuki, were very much put off by this, while others, like Chichiatsu and Touka, found it endearing, even alluring in some way. The mystery behind her gaze and her grin scared some and drew others, and Sakura found herself enjoying that very much – it was a little game of hers to see whether someone would be attracted and repulsed by her now, and once one or the other was confirmed, it was even _more_ fun to either have them wrapped around her finger, or so terrified by her very presence that they couldn't handle being in the same room as her. She'd succeeded in doing the former with a few people, but the only ones she really managed the second with were bandits and random muggers. She just guessed she was scarier in combat.

The now 13 – _almost 14!_ – year old girl had grown a lot in the year and a half, having hit her growth spurt and still in the process of growing. Her bubblegum hair was as vibrant as ever, now flowing down to her waist in a roughly braided ponytail. Her trademark bangs still framed her face as they always had, though they were noticeably wilder and more unkempt than one would expect her to have, yet still no less lustrous than the rest of her locks.

In terms of attire, she'd barely changed, keeping the black training top and shorts with bindings underneath them, though she had actually traded the more traditional sleeved top for one that was more of a vest-sports bra hybrid, leaving her shoulders and stomach bare. Instead she had picked up a white Chinese styled top scattered with sakura petal designs and lined in red that she left unbuckled, using it as more of a jacket than a traditional top. Her katana remained securely fastened to her left hip, and as always, Naruto's scarf was wrapped around her neck.

She no longer wore her hitai-ate – the rough, constant training had worn it out, leaving the fabric almost completely frayed. She'd contemplated stitching the metal plate onto Naruto's scarf, but she hadn't gone through with it yet, reasoning the forehead protector was useless here – no one knew what it meant anyways, so using it as a shinobi signifier wouldn't work, and considering she wore it as a hairband, it wasn't particularly useful as a defence mechanism either.

She shrugged, stretching and rolling out her body as she rose from her bed, a series of pops and clicks rewarding her as she did so. The biggest change had been in her body – where she had once been thin as a twig, her body now looked as if it was carved out of marble, all rippling muscle and flawless skin. She looked at herself in the mirror, a lethargic and knowing smile on her face as she saw how tousled and messy her bangs were right after getting out of bed. She wouldn't brush them… She never said anything about it, but she knew that Touka went absolutely wild when she was just at that sweet spot of uncaringly messy yet still effortlessly presentable, and today was one of those days. She'd be able to get the other girl to do absolutely _anything_ today.

"Maybe I should take this as a day off, then…" She murmured, her voice having deepened from that of a girlish student eager to find her place in the world to the smoky drawl of a woman who knew exactly what they wanted in life and how they would get it. "I can play with her a little." She finished, eyes flashing vermillion for a moment as she shuddered in equal parts pleasure and anticipation, as she raised a finger to her mouth, lightly chewing on the nail.

She did think she deserved a day off, honestly. She hadn't taken one in a year and a half, and she'd made a lot of progress besides.

**Name: Haruno Sakura  
Class: The Gamer  
Level: LV 27  
HP: 2398/2398  
MP: 2893/2893  
STR: 117  
VIT: 109  
DEX: 132  
INT: 172  
WIS: 159  
LUK: 10  
Points: 70**

**Shockwave (Active) LV34 EXP: 32.01%  
A skill to create a wave of destructive force using one's physical strength. By gathering power within one's fist and unleashing it upon impact, the user's strength can be felt from beyond the reach of his physical body.  
Target receives damage normally.  
Everyone within 5 meters of the target receives 59% damage.  
Everyone with 10 meters of the target receives 27% damage.  
Damaged targets may be knocked down.  
Range: 10 meters.**

**Devastating Blows (Passive) LVMAX  
A skill to cause massive damage with physical attacks. Whether naturally or through extensive training, the user has learnt to unconsciously use her mana to penetrate the defenses that surround her foes. Upon being used, a fraction of the force of the attack can ignore both physical and supernatural protection, wreaking havoc upon the enemy within.  
All physical strikes possess 5% defense penetration.  
May cause internal damage.**

**Divine Strength (Passive) LVMAX  
An inborn ability to reinforce one's body with mana, strengthening it beyond the limits of flesh. Because of the flow of energy within one's body, the output of the user's muscle fibers greatly exceeds the normal, enabling them to exercise unbelievable strength.  
100% increase to Physical Attack Damage.  
100% increase to lifting capacity.  
100% increase to jumping distance.  
Physical attacks may knockdown or knockback targets.  
Low chance of stunning foes.**

**Riposte (Passive) LVMAX  
The ability to follow up a successful defence with an immediate and powerful attack.  
Immediately counterattack.  
100% increase to attack speed.  
Damage increases relative to damage received.**

**Supernal Condition (Passive) LVMAX  
The ability given to those with a body rivalling that of the gods. Their all-encompassing, limitless vitality allows them to draw on the heavenly light that lives in all things, allowing their matchless body to exist on a higher level for a time.  
HP can be temporarily increased through meditation.  
Stamina can be temporarily increased through meditation.  
STR can be temporarily increased through meditation.  
VIT can be temporarily increased through meditation.  
DEX can be temporarily increased through meditation.**

**Second Chance (Passive) LVMAX  
The ability to survive, drawing upon one's innermost stores of power to continue fighting after an otherwise lethal blow. By using one's mana to activate important portions of the body, the user of this skill can survive an attack that would reduce his HP to 0 with 1 HP remaining.  
This technique may only be used if the damage caused by the attack is no more than 1000 points higher than the user's remaining HP.  
Second Chance may only be used once a day.**

**Yellow Road (Active) LV52 EXP: 0.32%  
The ability to change the direction of one's physical body solely through the use of one's mana. By creating a 'pathway' with one's power, the user may cause their body to follow it without any loss of speed. Even shifting direction while in midair is possible, as is the creation of complex routes by using multiple, connected paths.  
Change direction towards a specified point.  
Additional 196 MP consumed per additional point.**

**The Four Winds (Passive) LVMAX  
An ability born from an inherent skill at using mana to enhance to movements of one's body. By guiding power in accordance to one's movements, it is possible to properly grasp the flow and let it hasten one's movements until the user's attacks are no more than fading blurs and lingering pain.  
100% Increase to Physical Attack Speed.  
50% Increase to Physical Attack Accuracy.**

**Angelic Steps (Passive) LVMAX  
An ability born from an inherent skill at using mana to enhance to movements of one's body. Thanks to the natural structure of one's body and soul, this skill passively bolsters the user's speed and grace to inhuman levels.  
100% Increase to Movement Speed.  
50% Increase to Evasion.**

**Extrasensory Perception (Passive) LVMAX  
The inborn ability to perceive the world through the broad senses of the mind, rather than the limited ones of the body. Takes many forms dependent on the mentality and natural abilities of the user, but can grow with time and training. The power of this skill increases with level, INT, and through related abilities.  
Expands Sensing to encompass low levels of Clairvoyance and Clairaudience. Improve by increasing INT.**

**The Mathematician's Answer (Passive) LVMAX  
A skill granted to those who have learned to wield their great intelligence as both a sword and shield, applying mathematic principles to real situations. Although greatly improving the user's ability to perform calculations as a side effect, this skill's main purpose is to broaden the natural effects of INT, owing to the user's heightened thought processes. INT may be used to improve or replace DEX and LUCK for applicable purposes, such as enhancing attempts at evasion, greatly improving the accuracy of attacks, or improving the likelihood of Critical Hits.**

**Quick Soul (Passive) LVMAX  
Denoting an inherent malleability of the soul, this skill allows the user to easily shape their mana into useful forms, greatly lowering the charge time of other skills in the process. The effectiveness of this skill increases with user level.  
Reduce the casting time of all skills by 5 seconds. If this reduces the minimum charge time of a skill to zero, the skill may be cast instantly up to 5 seconds of charge; further charge time functions as normal.  
MP costs are unaffected.**

**Hyper Soul (Passive) LVMAX  
An ability given to those born with souls naturally able to contain and conduct great amounts of energy, this skill allows the user to channel great power into their other skills. By increasing the cost of a skill and charging it for a time, the user may greatly increase its power. The length and breadth of this skill increase with INT.  
All skills without prolonged effects may now be charged. Both cost and effect increase with charge time.  
Skills that already possess charge times increase their maximum charge time by the amount granted.  
Current charge time granted: 5 seconds.**

**Mana Reactor (Passive) LVMAX  
Given to those with souls capable of drawing upon great power in times of need, this skill greatly increases the user's MP regeneration when their power runs low.  
Triple MP regeneration when MP is below 10%.**

**Manafont (Passive) LVMAX  
An ability given to those that naturally overflow with so much magical energy they are closer to a phenomenon of nature than a regular human, this skill allows the user to both contain and expel their ridiculous magic power whenever they wish.  
Increases MP by a further 40%.  
Allows the user to use all of their remaining MP on a skill of their choice, ignoring the skill's normal cost, increasing the damage, effect and range by a factor of the amount of MP used.**

**Empathy (Passive) LVMAX  
A skill granted to those born with a natural understanding of the people around them, this ability allows one to perceive the emotions of others. The range and depth of this ability increase alongside one's WIS.  
Range: 1 kilometer.**

**Balance (Passive) LVMAX  
An ability given to the few that have honed their natural talents to achieve nearly unmatched insight into the truth of the world, thereby obtaining a tremendous affinity for the elements of nature.  
20% less MP used for all elemental abilities.  
Increases damage of all elemental abilities by 20%**

**Understanding of the Enlightened (Passive) LVMAX  
A skill granted to those who have achieved an awakened mental state, reaching a greater understanding of all things. Experience gains for both levels and skills are increased by a percentage equal to the user's WIS.**

**Body of the Enlightened (Passive) LVMAX  
A skill granted to those who have achieved a state of physical transcendence. All benefits of WIS are doubled and Magic Resistance now applies to all forms of attack, including the imposition of unwanted status effects. The user never receives negative repercussions from lack of food, water, or sleep.**

**Vermillion Bird of the South (Active) LV100 EXP: MAX**   
**Legend tells that during the height of war, a majestic bird rose from the crack of dawn to end the battle singlehandedly. The ultimate technique of Suzaku, the Vermillion Bird of the South, is a skill that grants a surge of tremendous power at great cost. The user's heart burns with an amazing fury, setting the air and their very soul alight with vermillion flame as they mark the very earth with their might and rend the wind with their speed.**   
**The skills 'Vermillion Bird's Grace,' 'Feathers of the Vermillion Bird' and 'Dawn of the Vermillion Bird' are activated at no additional cost.**   
**The skills 'Vermillion Bird's Beak,' 'Vermillion Bird's Talons,' and 'Vermilion Bird's Wings' may freely enhance applicable actions at no additional cost.**   
**Double the effectiveness of all skills activated in such a way.**   
**Triples the user's Fire Affinity and the effectiveness of all fire based skills.**   
**Increases STR by 50% when fighting unarmed.**   
**Increases DEX by 150% when fighting unarmed.**   
**HP may be spent instead of MP for all skills besides Vermillion Bird of the South.**   
**10 HP used per second while active.**   
**10 MP used per second while active.**

She grinned, especially when she thought of the Vermillion Bird of the South. It wasn't just because of how powerful it was, or even because of the fact that because it was mastered and her HP and MP were so high now that she could essentially ignore its cost, especially if she simply just used the Mystical Palm and healed herself using her own HP to do so. No, it wasn't any of those, though they were pretty good too.

It was because she'd gotten its evolved version.

**Suzaku, the Vermillion Bird of the South (Active) LV1 EXP: 0.00%  
The personification of the Vermillion Bird's Legend, born from a lifetime of study, refinement, and struggle; the ultimate technique of Suzaku shares his name for it was the product of his life as the Martyr of the Warring States. As its predecessor focused on the power of the heart, soul, and the fire borne from both, so too does its evolved form, opening the Eighth Gate of Death to truly flood the body with the flames of the spirit. While not wholly, instantly fatal like the Eight Gates Released Formation, the power of the Eighth Gate even by itself is more than enough to crush bodies and end futures, and so Suzaku's final contribution to the world should not be taken lightly.  
** **The skills 'Suzaku's Grace,' 'Feathers of Suzaku' and 'Dawn of Suzaku, the Vermillion Bird' are activated at no additional cost.**   
**The skills 'Suzaku's Beak,' 'Suzaku's Talons,' and 'Suzaku's Wings' may freely enhance applicable actions at no additional cost.**   
**Quadruples the effectiveness of all skills activated in such a way.**   
**Quintuples the user's Fire Affinity and the effectiveness of all fire based skills.  
All non-elemental skills become fire elemental.**   
**Increases STR by 200% when fighting unarmed.**   
**Increases DEX by 500% when fighting unarmed.**   
**HP and MP may be spent interchangeably for all skills apart from Suzaku, the Vermillion Bird of the South.**   
**1000 HP used per second while active.**   
**1000 MP used per second while active.**

Now _this_ baby… now she was talking. The fact she could only use it for two seconds right now was irrelevant – she'd figure it out. It's not like this was the only skill she'd mastered, either – staples like her clones and her Magic Bullet had also undergone their own evolutions, but this was the big one. Her next goal was to create some sort of automatic healing skill that could take care of the HP drain if she used her HP to power it. If she could work that out, then she'd just need to increase her MP so she could stay in the form longer. That did remind her though – the cost displayed in the skill description was _before_ any MP cost deductions were made because of her other skills, so if HP was no longer a factor, she'd probably be able to use the skill for what, 5 seconds as she was now? _Maaaaybe_ ten? Still not great, but… considering how much stronger she'd be, did she really need even that much time?

There was of course also the factor of higher skill levels driving the cost of the skill lower and lower, which would make things even _more_ manageable. It'd be great. _But,_ she sighed to herself, almost brushing her hair back before that smile returned to her face as she remembered what she'd been thinking about earlier. _Day off. Let's go play with Touka._ She shook her head, quickly checked and made sure everything was where it should be, and slid the door open, seeing her attendant waiting patiently outside as she always did.

"Touka-chan!" She purred, the huskiness of her voice turning almost gravelly as she wrapped an arm around the girl who now only stood around shoulder height with her. "I've decided I'm taking a day off from training today." She leant down, placing her mouth inches away from the other girl's ear, before whispering, "And I feel like I've been… _neglecting_ you." She ran her hand down Touka's arm, feeling the other girl melt at her touch as she barely kept herself together, eyes screwed shut and face crimson. "So I thought we should… play. Do whatever you want to do, for a change. How's that sound?" She disengaged, rising from her ear and letting go of her arm, but cupping her chin as her hand drew back, gently raising Touka's face until she was looking into Sakura's eyes.

Sakura couldn't help but smile as her eyes raked down Touka's body, noting her heavy breathing, the way she shuddered at every touch, how even when Sakura was basically forcing them to make eye contact she still tried to look away in embarrassment. Either she'd caught her on a really good day, or she'd just done an excellent job of it today. Either way, her smile grew into a playful, seductive smirk as Touka struggled to respond, finally choking out a _more_ than enthusiastic "Yes, Sakura-sama!"

"Great!" Sakura finally stopped teasing her, her childish nature on full display. "Lead the way."

* * *

"So, this is your room?" Sakura curiously asked, her high-running emotions causing her to unconsciously activate Vermillion Bird of the South, transforming her jade eyes into the burnt orange of a carnelian, the iridescence of her chakra causing the shimmering colour to shift and glow in slightly different shades depending on what angle one looked at it from. Touka's breath caught in her chest as she stole a glance at the other girl, the light catching in Sakura's eyes like sparkling gemstones.

She didn't know what it was about her – there were noble ladies in Swamp, like Akai-sama, that were far more classically beautiful, but something about Sakura… There was just some kind of… _radiance_ she exuded, that couldn't be captured by words. She wasn't beautiful in the way that women who spent half their waking hours taking care of their appearance were – no, it was more casual, far more rough and rugged, and yet… no less – perhaps more, even – alluring. Perhaps it was just because there truly was no one like her in the capital – no, the country – and that was why…

"Touka-channn…" Sakura's purr broke Touka from her thoughts as she blushed, furiously shaking her head to chase the thoughts away. They were foolish anyways. Sakura would never even look at someone like her if not for her being assigned to be at her beck and call, and Sakura had told her she already had someone back home… Even if she was currently missing.

"Yes, Sakura-sama. Please, have a seat." She gestured to the small table in the middle of the open plan kitchen/bedroom combo, and Sakura obliged, daintily sitting on the table instead of the chairs placed around it. Touka let out a huff as she saw her doing it. "Sakura-sama…" Sakura fiercely grinned, her tongue peeking out of her mouth as she did, hopping back off the table before placing her hands in her pockets and wandering around the room.

"It's bigger than I expected… I don't even get a kitchen like you do."

"Surely you don't expect Chichiatsu-sama's chefs to prepare food for one like me, do you?" Touka asked, looking in one of her cupboards for some tea. Sakura nodded, the servant girl having a good point. She noted how sparsely decorated the room was, which made her wonder if that was because she didn't have the money to decorate it, the time to herself to enjoy it, or a combination of the two. Sakura sat, her curiosity abated for now, waiting for the tea.

Once Touka brought two steaming cups of the stuff and sat down herself, Sakura thought it time to ask the question that had been on her mind from the moment she'd found out where Touka was taking her, though she chose to wait until Touka was taking her first sip, the ever present glint of mischief shining bright. "So are we gonna fuck now or later? Cos I can do both." Touka seemed stuck between spitting out her tea and trying to quickly inhale what was in her mouth, failing, and then choking on it. After a moment, she had managed to swallow down the tea, and after a moment more had regained her composure enough to hit Sakura with a withering glare despite her blush, the pink haired girl having started howling with laughter at her reaction.

"Sakura-sama!" Touka exclaimed, incensed.

Sakura's laughs settled into giggles, the dozy smile from earlier in the morning reappearing as she started playing her game again in earnest. "Seriously though, I mean it. I mean, a girl can only take so much staring, y'know? If you wanna see me naked that bad, all you gotta do is ask. Least I can do for you."

Touka looked away, embarrassed, that hated stutter reappearing as she tried to speak to this woman who seemed to be able to put anyone off-balance with a single sentence. "S-Sakura-sama, I-I…"

 _Should I go harder than this? …Nah. She might be foreigner trash, but I like her. If I wanted to make sure she'd follow me back to the Leaf sure, but I have no use for her there. I don't need to break her heart when I leave._ "Listen, Touka. I'm not gonna push you to do things you don't wanna, but that means you've got to have the guts to speak up when you want something from me too. It's a two-way street, y'know?" She stood from the table, Touka staring at her in shock. "Let me know when you have the courage to do what you want." Sakura said simply, before walking out of the room, smiling softly. _If I wanted to, I could make her mine… But it wouldn't be useful, or a challenge. It'd be a fun game, though… and isn't that enough?_

* * *

Sakura went to find Chichiatsu, eyes still shining like polished jewels. Here was another one that she could make hers completely in a night… He was a good deal more useful than Touka was, especially in the long run… But all he really had was money, and making him hers would tie her to this country, at least until such a time they had an heir, and even then she wasn't sure she could push him to elope. He was a good, dedicated leader… which just made him a more appealing pet, and one that she knew she could not have without sacrificing everything else.

"Morning, Chichiatsu-dono! Got anything for me to do?"

"Oh, Sakura-kun." Chichiatsu intoned, seemingly looking over some sort of paperwork. "There's a new bandit camp… on the other side of the country. They've been there a while, it seems… It's just taken word a long time to reach here. Oh, and I received a message for you, too."

"Message?" Sakura blinked. From who, Konoha? She hadn't expected to hear back until around the time the mission was over. Jiraiya's message had made it clear that she was to stay until the mission duration was over.

"Yes, here. I was about to send someone to come and find you for it. Here it is." The busy daimyo said, handing the scroll over. Sakura plucked it from his dainty fingers, reclining in a chair in Chichiatsu's well kept office and beginning to read.

_Sakura,_

_You're still alive, right? I'm pretty sure you aren't weak enough to die in a country with no shinobi, but you never know._

_Jiraiya's gone. You can come back now. We don't need the money._

_Sasuke_

She raised an eyebrow at that. Jiraiya was just… gone? The hell did that mean? And since when did Sasuke have the authority to tell her she could come back? She sighed. _Even if this isn't fake, I'm not going to just go back now. It'd be a waste of both money and my time. This mission is by far the best training time I'll get in my life, and I'm going to make the most of it. Sorry, Sasuke._ She rose from the chair, picking up a blank scroll and one of Chichiatsu's messenger hawks as she left the room.

* * *

Sakura flew through the trees as she raced to the location the bandit camp had been reported to be in. Though the forests were sparser and the trees smaller than back home, she had gotten used to the difference, her far stronger body and greater control over her chakra being more than enough to compensate for the larger jumps she had to make between branches. _I'll take it slow, this time. I want to have fun with this one…_

She opened up her senses, closing her eyes and allowing her Sensing and its attached Clairvoyance and Clairaudience to take over. _There's a scouting/hunting party of seven five hundred and seventy three metres to the south-west, and the camp itself is eight hundred flat to the south, with another fifteen. Easy pickings. I'll start with the scouts._ She dropped to the ground, using an earth technique she had developed based on her Sensing to keep track of their locations.

**Chakralocation (Active) LV10 EXP: 32.15%  
The user sends a pulse of chakra through the earth that bounces back to them upon hitting another source of chakra, allowing them to take a snapshot of the living things in the surrounding area.  
Range increases with skill level and INT.**

She began to stalk the scouting party, keeping track of their movements by using Chakralocation with every step she took, the MP drain almost completely negligible. Once she had the slow moving bandits in sight, she briefly considered how to go about taking them out, before getting over herself and simply leaping at one, driving him into the marsh the group had been navigating around.

The bandits wildly looked around, searching for the pink blur that had attacked one of them, as well as the man himself, though they quickly saw his body rise up through the muddy swamp water, his entire chest cavity seemingly just missing. What sounded like the screams of the damned pierced through the quiet, as two of the six remaining burst into flame, while a girl flipped onto the ground in front of them, her eyes shining with wild glee and a feral grin on her face.

The four of them instantly knew what was going on. This was _her._ The demon ninja witch, the pink demon, the pyromaniac… The few people who had survived her or managed to see what she was capable of without her attacking them all had different names for her, but they all agreed on one thing – if she came for you, you were already dead.

The four men turned to run, even as the two still burning screamed bloody murder as they tried to put out the flames that burnt hotter than anything they had ever seen and felt before, trying to roll around on the ground as their skin sloughed off and their tongues fried to bubbling grease. One of runners didn't even get to turn, his head separating from his body before he even was able to register that it was time to run. Another made the full revolution, only to get a hand that pierced through his back and out of his chest as if it were made of butter, dying instantly as his spine was severed and heart destroyed.

Another one made a step, Sakura in turn stepping on the ground an instant after him, earthen spikes instantly rising from the ground and tearing him apart in a shower of gore, yet doing just shy of enough damage to kill him instantly, leaving the man to choke and die on dirt and blood as he paled at the sight of his own entrails. The pink haired ninja Lunged at the final man, tackling him to the ground as her thumbs rested over his eyes and her hands on his skull, pressing down until both his eyes popped and his skull shattered inwards in a mess of blood and bone, though not before he screamed his heart out at the sheer pain he was in before he died.

Sakura sighed, licking some of the blood off of her right hand, not feeling satisfied with just that. Luckily for her there were fifteen more of the scum to kill.

* * *

Sakura waltzed into the camp like she owned it, the bandits all turning to look at her as she did, one by one realising what was going on. Sakura's grin turned downright predatory as they all rose to flee, yet she didn't move to chase them. Instead, she simply put her bloody hands in her pockets.

And released the restraints she held on her Killing Intent.

The effect was instant – the raging cocktail of emotions that had formed her into what she was now - anger, hatred, bloodlust, despair, hope, love and many, many more – being so strong that it seemed to have a physical effect on the bandits, all of them stumbling and many of them seemingly unable to stand again. Five of them died on the spot from feeling her unchained psyche, the primal fear that they felt from the dark, sinister chakra she output causing their hearts to stop beating. Two more found themselves unable to breath under the weight of her emotion and power, and another four killed themselves to escape it. Only four of them managed to survive just her Killing Intent, and even then two had been driven completely mad by it. She could see that from their glazed eyes.

She scowled, disappointed. She had barely even started letting loose her _real_ killer instinct, yet almost all of them were already dead. She had wanted to take her time taking these ones apart, but it looked like she'd only get to have her fun with two of them. _Still…_ Her frown faded, instead being replaced by a vicious, twisted grin, green eyes turning orange with a flash and shining with anticipation. _I can really get to work on these two._

* * *

The sun had set by the time Sakura was done, the two men in question both still alive, but one had long since been driven mad like the two others that were still alive, and the other one had simply broken under Sakura's – in her opinion – light touch. She stepped away from her handiwork, pleased that her healing skill was good enough to keep someone alive while she removed all the skin off of their body after they'd already had most of their bones broken. "That's what you get… Swamp scum." She spat directly onto the man's chest, getting no reaction from him, though she hadn't expected any.

A ball of fire hot enough the edges burnt blue appeared in her hand, and she threw it up in the air as she turned and walked away, thoroughly bored now that she'd made that evil trash suffer as much as she could. The Atom Blazer hit the ground of the camp a few seconds later, detonating and vaporising most of it, while setting what remained on fire. Sakura was already on her way back to the palace.

* * *

After that day off, Sakura noticeably cooled on her training, despite having herself said that this mission was a golden opportunity for it. She still trained every day, though the intensity and amount of training done each day slowly began to wane, as she found that her stats were rising slower and slower each passing day, and while she could see the progress being made with her skills easier than with her stats, they too grew quite slowly, even as they rose to higher levels.

As the time spent actively training waned however, she spent more and more time trying to figure out how to heal herself without having to think about it and only needing to supply the chakra. From what she remembered, Tsunade had some sort of medical technique that outright made her immortal while she was using it. She didn't need something that powerful, but the fact that that existed at all spurred her on, as if _that_ were possible, some sort of general healing technique should be as well.

It took her about a year to figure it out, although in that time there were many periods where she became frustrated and gave up for a time, making no progress. It was during one of those periods where she finally managed to break the 150 barrier for one of her physical stats, that being DEX. She'd already passed 200 for both WIS and INT by that point, but the climb to 250 for those seemed as hard as the climb to 150 for the others. There had been points where she had considered giving in and using her points to boost her stats to those thresholds, but each of those breakthroughs had motivated to keep going as she was, even if she was getting diminishing returns.

Another one of those periods had gotten her experimenting on what she could use her sword for other than just straight fighting with it. If that's all she could do with it, there was hardly any point to even having it, seeing as she could just… make one out of chakra whenever she wanted. She found that she could enhance the blade with earth chakra to make it sturdier, or superheat it with fire chakra, though not both at once. That was something she couldn't do with her created weapons – once they were formed, she couldn't modify them, only make new ones, and that included any added elements they had. She could make a flame sword, but she couldn't make a sword then set it on fire.

Still, within a year, Sakura finally had the skill she was looking for. It ate up more MP than she was exactly comfortable with, especially with the _exorbitant_ cost of Suzaku, the Vermillion Bird of the South, but that was a problem that would solve itself through mastery and greater strength, and the issue of greater strength was another problem that seemed to paradoxically become easier to obtain the more powerful she became, despite the diminishing returns she was having.

**Name: Haruno Sakura  
Class: The Gamer  
Level: LV 31  
HP: 4650/4650  
MP: 7789/7789  
STR: 159  
VIT: 151  
DEX: 167  
INT: 211  
WIS: 214  
LUK: 10  
Points: 90**

**Kiai (Active) LV12 EXP: 32.83%  
Using their godly strength, the user of this ability enhances their body so much that simply throwing out their arms causes the release of an omni-directional shockwave that can send enemies and projectiles alike flying.  
Damaged targets will be knocked down.  
Range increases with skill level and STR.**

**Mighty Strikes (Passive) LVMAX  
The user's physical strikes can pierce through all but the strongest defences, causing horrific amounts of damage to those who are not adequately guarding against them. The user's unconscious enhancement of their attacks with their mana has reached such a high level of proficiency that even flicks are capable of causing serious damage.  
All physical strikes possess 45% defence penetration.**

**Restraint (Active) LVMAX  
The user's strength has grown so massive that if they are not careful, they can destroy everything around them without even knowing it. This skill allows them to rein in that strength, only releasing all of it when necessary.  
The user can temporarily reduce all their STR, DEX and VIT by any percentage they choose. Whenever they choose to remove this reduction, their STR, DEX and VIT are increased by a factor of how much they were lowered and how long they were lowered for until the end of the next battle.**

**Bloody Rage (Passive) LVMAX  
The user of this goes into a frenzy at the smell of blood, whether it is their own or the enemies, allowing them to draw out strength they didn't know they had.  
Increases STR by the percentage of HP you have lost, and the average percentage of HP lost by your enemies.**

**Godly Power (Passive) LVMAX  
The user's inborn ability to reinforce their body with their mana has reached such a level that almost no one alive can reach the same level of physical output as them, their muscle fibres being even stronger than steel.  
175% increase in physical attack damage.  
200% increase in jumping distance.  
**

**Determination (Passive) LVMAX  
The ability to push through even the greatest harm, this skill draws on the overflowing power hidden in one's body to allow them to keep fighting as long as they still have the will and the light to do so.  
When the user of this skill's HP reaches 0, their current MP will be converted into HP.  
Determination can only be used once per day.**

**Sufferance (Passive) LVMAX  
The ability to endure grievous harm to return a bone-crushing counterattack.  
Riposte can now activate without a successful guard, and when activated this way will always deal a Critical Hit.**

**Qigong (Active Passive) LV6 EXP: 20.92%  
Within all living things flows the power of life—the aura of one's soul. A spiritual existence that protects and reinforces the user, it has been the guarding light of mankind since time immemorial. Throughout the millennia, man has cultivated countless ways to draw closer to this light and strengthen themselves. One such method is to draw in that light and gather it within the body, connecting one's spirit more closely to their physical body. This skill represents a natural talent for that technique, born from the natural meridians within the user's body that carve out a complex pathway of channels and vessels that ease the flow of energy between body and soul, allowing for an unusual form of physical and spiritual.  
HP can be improved through meditation.  
Stamina can be improved through meditation.  
Strength can be improved through meditation.  
Dexterity can be improved through meditation.  
Vitality can be improved through meditation.  
Stamina may be consumed to temporarily increase the power of one's physical abilities.**

**Inerrant (Active) LV2 EXP: 4.27%  
The ability to use one's all-surpassing vitality to outmatch the ill effects placed on the user by others, activating the body to purge all unwanted ailments. They can also take the beneficial enhancements placed on them and absorb them into their vital stores, soothing the body.  
When under a harmful status effect, the user can remove it by paying HP.  
When under a positive status effect, the user can remove it to gain HP.**

**Solipsism (Passive) LVMAX  
An ability given to those whose bodies are unmatched by anyone else in the world of man. Their exceptional vitality is visible even by simply looking, and the pride of their unrivalled physicality shines through all of their actions.  
** **100% increase to stamina recovery rate.  
30% decrease in damage from physical attacks.  
40% increase to total HP amount.  
50% increase to total stamina amount.  
70% increase to VIT related skill effects.**

**Utsusemi (Passive) LVMAX  
The user moves their body at such speed that they can dodge an attack that appears to have already hit them, leaving behind an afterimage and confusing the enemy.**

**Sandals of the Messenger God (Active and Passive) LVMAX  
The user's dexterity and grace are completely unmatched, allowing them to perform feats no normal human could, ones more befitting celestial beings above.  
150% increase to movement speed.  
For one minute, the user is able to run on the air as if it were the ground. You can only use this ability of the Sandals of the Messenger God once per day.**

**Divine Grace (Passive) LVMAX  
The natural ability of the user to enhance their movements with their mana has increased to the point that even their walk is mesmerising to those who have not seen it before, and their true moves cannot be seen by the naked eye, allowing them to engage, attack, defend and retreat before most even realise they intend to fight at all.  
150% increase to physical attack speed.  
100% increase to physical attack accuracy.  
100% increase to evasion.  
100% to DEX related skill effects.**

**Senka (Active) LV23 EXP: 28.38%  
Using their surpassing speed, the user dashes past their opponent, attacking them with such speed to be untraceable to the untrained eye. If the attack is successful, the enemy will be instantly incapacitated, whether this means unconscious or dead is entirely up to the user.**

**Eagle Eye (Passive) LVMAX  
The control and knowledge the holder of this ability has over their own body makes it far easier to determine where the weak points in other bodies are, allowing them to make their strikes incredibly precise and therefore extremely debilitating.  
Doubles the chance of landing Critical Hits.**

**Castitas (Passive) LVMAX  
The rejection of the impure that shields one from corruption—the eternal love that remains when ephemeral Lusts are washed away. The mana of living beings naturally shields them from many threats and passively prevents malicious effects from being formed within the body, washing away the mana of others as it tries to take shape. Against attacks that completed outside of the body, however, it may only serve as a protective shield against harm. Not so to the user of this skill; to them, even the solid structure of completed attacks may be washed away, like building of mud swept away by a river.  
For twice the MP cost of the targeted ability, an MP-based attack that affects the user may be completely dispersed in a flare of mana. All harmful effects, even those which take place independent of damage, are completely negated—it is as if the attack never made contact at all.  
Against attacks with a material component, only MP-based abilities are negated, leaving the physical attack to be defended against normally. Further, against attacks which target an area, only the user is protected.  
Abilities which do not have targets or which do not target the user may not be negated.**

**Temperantia (Passive) LVMAX  
The control and restraint that holds back the endless hunger of Gluttony; the prudence and sound judgement that allows one to reach the truth. This skill allows one to improve the efficiency of charged attacks.  
Halve the MP required for each second of charge time.**

**Caritas (Passive) LVMAX  
The generosity and sacrifice that cannot be seized by the hands of Greed. Similar to the process in which a soul infuses all living beings, this skill represents the ability to sacrifice one's own soul to bolster the light of another's—for greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.  
The owner of this skill may sacrifice their own MP to restore the MP of another.  
Range: 70 meters.**

**Industria (Passive) LVMAX  
The effort and passion that succeeds where Sloth might make one falter, this ability represents an inherent quality of persistence within the mana of its wielder. As a result of this skill, the mana of the user displays a natural integrity that allows it to better retain its structure over a period of time.  
Skills possessing a duration last twice as long as normal.  
Skills which require upkeep over time now double the length of time between payments.**

**Patientia (Passive) LVMAX  
The calm forbearance that outlasts the self-devouring flames of Wrath; the steady endurance that leads one to finding hope. This ability represents the quality of one's mana that allows it to retain and recall specific pattern. By using this skill, another skill may be precast and then drawn upon at a later time, paying the full cost to give the technique form in one's mana. The resulting skill is in all ways like it would be had it been cast normally, with the except of charged skills, in which case the ability may cast with whatever charge has been prepared beforehand.  
Max Number of Precast Skills: 1.**

**Benevolentia (Passive) LVMAX  
The loving-kindness that soothes the flames of Envy and mends that which it would destroy. This skill characterizes a natural tendency of one's mana that allows it to more easily mend wounds and reinforce the body, that those one loves will not perish.  
Double the effectiveness of all Healing and Support skills.**

**Humilitas (Passive) LVMAX  
The quality and purity of spirit that comes not of thinking less of oneself, but of thinking of oneself less, this ability represents the quiet Humility that surpasses even the most ostentatious displays of Pride. This skill denotes an enhancement and refinement of one's mana, such that it is capable of producing and supplying a greater amount of energy per unit.  
Reduce the MP cost of all skills by 50%.**

**Psychometry (Active) LV1 EXP: 23.32%  
A skill given to those with the ability to feel the impressions left on objects by the mana of living beings and draw information from them. By piecing together thousands of different markings on an object, entire scenes may be reconstructed, potentially long after the event itself occurred. Powerful scenes may leave stronger impressions, but the user's ability to piece together faint traces, as well as to draw information from them, increases with both WIS and skill level.  
Base time: 1 week.**

**Delusory (Active) LV27 EXP: 82.58%  
An ability born not from an understanding of lies but of truths. In grasping the nature of the world hidden behind the veil of perception, one has gained the power to manipulate that veil and craft illusions around oneself, transforming thoughts into light and light into ephemeral form. The energy required and difficult increases with the breadth of the illusion and decreases with INT, WIS, and skill level.**

**Tranquility (Passive) LVMAX  
The wisdom of enlightenment has brought with it the ability to see through the truth of the world just as many see through its lies, and that ability allows the user to truly be at peace, as they can see everything what it truly is.  
Enhances the Gamer's Mind to be able to purge all mental effects rather than just debilitating ones.  
Allows the user to choose what effects to purge.**

**Unity (Passive) LVMAX  
An ability given to those who have surpassed all limits and seen the truth, glimpsing the light from which all things come and return. By grasping this truth, however slightly, the user has obtained a true connection to the world around them by understanding even that which is above the minds ability to comprehend.  
25% less MP used for all Elemental abilities.  
50% increase to the effectiveness of all Elemental abilities.**

**The Soul Within (Passive) LVMAX  
An ability that those who's magical power is so overwhelming that it has become intertwined with their very soul, becoming a living ley line that generates and provides mystic force to the world around them. One with such a soul's ability to both create and destroy with mana is completely unmatched, their power being enough to completely recreate the very fabric of the world should they choose to.  
Increases WIS by 100%.  
Doubles the effectiveness of all WIS based skills.**

**The Hidden Heart (Passive) LVMAX  
A skill given to those of such spiritual wisdom and power that they have outgrown the limits of their own souls and reached beyond. Circumventing their own boundaries, the user crafted a nascent soul and merged with it to stimulate his own growth beyond the natural limits of both their mortal and immortal frames. This 'second heart', though young, shines with its power and potential.  
Double MP capacity.**

**The Unseen Form (Passive) LVMAX  
A skill granted to those of such enlightenment that that can no longer be considered wholly physical or spiritual entities, but instead a mixture of both. Existing in two worlds simultaneously, those with this skill may interact freely with either world and is more resistant to effects that come solely from one. Furthermore, by drawing from the power of their dual existence, they may rise above the concerns that bind others.  
Effects:  
Causes the user to exist as a dual entity, made as much of spirit as flesh.  
The user of this skill may draw sustenance from his soul rather than his body, circumventing the need for biological necessities, including air.  
As an existence that is at once body and soul, the user may draw upon both to fortify the whole. Physical Resistance and HP Regeneration are added to Magical Resistance and MP Regeneration. Magical Resistance and MP Regeneration are added to Physical Resistance and HP Regeneration.**

When she had first read the description of the WIS skill The Unseen Form, she had become excited, thinking that the skill meant that she'd outright be able to visit the Pure World and see her father and Naruto again, but she'd quickly discovered that that was not what the ability meant, discovering that the spiritual world they mentioned was still very much tied to the physical plane of the Impure World, only allowing her to see things that most wouldn't be able to with regular vision.

That crushing discovery had caused her to relapse for a couple of days, remaining in her room and speaking to no one.

Speaking of her skills, however… a few others stood out – namely Delusory, another one of the ones she had gotten for raising her WIS to 200. The skill was to create illusions, which seemed completely useless at first glance, considering that she already had the ability to use genjutsu, but Sakura quickly realised the benefits of it – since unlike genjutsu, the actual illusion wasn't defined at all, the skill could be used however she liked – essentially it was the ability to cast whatever genjutsu she liked. Plus, since it wasn't a genjutsu per se, she also wondered if the ways one would normally escape a genjutsu would work with this skill, which was something that needed further testing.

The INT skills in general were incredible, and the specific applications of each were too many to count, and she was still working to find more niche uses for each. But by far the best skill of them all was Qigong. By simply meditating, she could permanently raise her physical stats, just when she had thought she had reached the point that outright training them was useless, outside of long extended periods. Plus, it was a way independently raising her HP from her VIT, which was something she needed – even with the massive MP and HP growth she'd had and the massive decrease in cost of her skills, MP ones especially, and with the Cell Mystic Activation, the automatic healing skill she'd developed, she still could only use Suzaku, the Vermillion Bird of the South for fifteen seconds, tops. It was a marked increase, and one that meant training the skill to reduce its cost was much easier and effective, but it still wasn't at a level where she was happy with it – if there was an enemy that she'd need to use it to fight, she wouldn't be able to keep up the fight for very long.

As her HP was the main limiting factor however, Qigong would help that become a non-issue, at least in time. The primary goal now was… She sighed. Learning meditation. It was a real easy way to get stronger, so she wasn't _complaining,_ as such, but… "Meditation's so boring!"

* * *

Sakura's eyes flicked up. Even without Sensing, she'd be able to feel chakra of that level easily. Whoever had waltzed into _her_ territory was throwing enough chakra around to terraform it. She growled as she thought of who it could be, mainly settling on the idea of it being a Kumo-nin who had forgotten themselves on the way back to the Land of Lightning. She'd had a few run-ins with some of their careless trash before this, when they started sending in people to go check out what had happened to the Abarai brothers. She had thought she had made it clear that Kumo was not to touch her toys, not while she was still here… Perhaps they were calling her bluff now. It made sense – she was young, after all, and by herself. If they'd called the bluff when she'd first made it two years ago she'd have been fucked, but now… She smiled, quickly excusing herself from Chichiatsu's side and bolting out of the palace.

* * *

Sakura stopped on a tree, looking at the scene below her. The three people gathered there were so focused on each other that they hadn't noticed her. The former marshy forest they were standing in had become a clearing, the ground completely torn up and burning. One woman stood facing two men, she noticeably more injured than the other two while twin tails of bubbling red chakra swished behind her, the rest of her body covered by the same chakra in a cat-like shroud. She was panting quite heavily, her clothes looking ragged and her blonde hair a mess, and as Sakura looked around, she saw what she assumed to be the remains of what had been her team.

**Cat Playing in the Clouds  
LV 73  
Nii Yugito**

The other two were both wearing black cloaks with red clouds on them. One held a huge tri-bladed scythe and some kinda spike weapon, while the other didn't seem to be holding a weapon at all, instead having three black… things stood behind him.

**Great Gospel of Jashin  
LV 66  
Hidan**

**Only Money Revives My Dead Heart  
LV 70  
Kakuzu**

_Hmm. High levels, though that's to be expected._ A voice in her head told her that she should retreat, as just comparing these levels to hers should tell her that she'd outmatched, but Sakura quickly silenced it. She knew for a fact now that just displaying her level didn't actually really show her how strong someone was compared to her – the proof of that was a year ago, when she had begun to slow down on training. She had been equal in level to Toyohisa then, yet she completely outstripped him in terms of power. The question was… how much? She had felt the amount of chakra being used, and while she already knew in sheer volume she didn't have enough to match that, she was more confident in terms of strength, especially considering all the ways she had to boost her power enough to flee if she was overestimating herself.

She could also see that while she had been right in the sense that a Kumo-nin had been causing all of the ruckus, she wasn't the aggressor here, or the one she could fight. The injuries on both sides proved it – all of her squad was dead and she was injured, yet these two were pretty much fine. With their levels, the two of them should easily be able to defeat her, even if neither one was quite as strong as her alone, so the only reason the fight had gone on long enough for her to even arrive is because she had something they wanted. So the side that'd probably annoy more people to help would be… the Cloud girl. _Besides, they're all foreigners anyway, so what does it matter?_ Her eyes gleamed, turning orange, and she pounced, interrupting whatever conversation they were having, diving straight for the weaker one with a scythe with a flying kick.

To his credit, he just about managed to block, her foot driving into the handle of the scythe rather than the man's body, though his quick defence was completely blown apart, Sakura's unexpected level of strength sending the improperly anchored and braced missing-nin flying. By then Sakura was already flipping away, hands streaming fire as she blasted Kakuzu with her Atom Blazer. The other nin was just as quick to react however, and defended himself with a wall of water, while Sakura landed lightly on her feet next to Yugito. "If I help you kill these dudes, will you get out of my country?" Sakura asked cheerily.

The shocked jinchuuriki took a second to respond, realising that this was the girl that there had been reports about – Swamp's sole ninja. Either the reports had been wrong or this girl was good at hiding her power however, as she wasn't anywhere _near_ B-rank like they had said she was – that exchange, however brief, solidly put her as at least A-rank, and more than likely S – leading her to wonder how one as young as her became so powerful, and why Konoha would ever leave her here to her own devices when surely one with her kind of strength would be more useful back in the Land of Fire. She nodded, tabling her thoughts for later – whatever the case, she was thankful the girl had arrived. She had purposefully started throwing more chakra around than necessary to try and signal her, and if she hadn't arrived soon, she would've been forced to either use the Nibi's full power or be captured by these two. "I only wish to return back home."

"Sweet. I have dibs on scythe then!" Sakura's mouth split open in a huge grin, teeth gleaming like blades in the afternoon sky. True to her word, she blazed forward at Hidan, rearing her fist back as crimson chakra coalesced around it. The former Yugakure shinobi had recovered by now, laughing at Sakura's mania – or perhaps just laughing at nothing – swinging his scythe directly into her travel path. It hit true, two of its three blades piercing right through her, and Hidan, Yugito and Kakuzu were all shocked at the ease that she had been killed, considering her entrance. That shock dulled all of their senses, if even for a moment, and so they were all surprised again when Sakura continued her attack as if nothing had happened, her hand spearing down and separating Hidan's outstretched arm at the elbow.

Sakura leaped back, pulling the scythe out of her as she did, Hidan's severed forearm still gripping it tightly. Yugito watched as her wounds seemed to simply disappear as if by magic, and then her thoughts turned to the chakra that had covered her hand before she had struck, and the fact that she was, as far as the older reports were true, a Konoha nin that had for whatever reason been relegated to this country without her team. The final nail in the coffin was her age, and things quickly fell into place for the older Kumo kunoichi. Things made more sense now, though she still didn't understand why the Leaf would send someone like her away, when she was a weapon to be used in its defence. She would have to inform Raikage-sama when she returned that she had found the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. After all, who else could heal themselves so quickly, other than the Slug Princess?

Sakura, oblivious to the whirring machinations going on in Yugito's head, giggled at the sight of Hidan's arm hanging off her new weapon, beyond pleased that she'd gotten herself a souvenir. Hidan too found himself laughing, at the seeming kindred spirit he was fighting against. He'd never met anyone so willing to injure themselves just to attack their enemies and do such seemingly miniscule damage in return. "Who the hell are you, you crazy bitch? Are you a follower of Jashin too?"

"Who the fuck's Jashin?" Sakura spat, before charging Hidan again, holding his scythe aloft and pushing him away from the clearing and deeper into the surrounding forest. Kakuzu's beasts moved to intercept, but they were blocked, Yugito's twin tails extending and defending her.

"You're fighting me." The Kumo-nin intoned, now completely confident she would be leaving this country alive with the assistance of who she thought was her sister-in-arms. Kakuzu scowled, knowing that he hadn't been paid enough for this, already thinking of exit strategies. Hidan would almost certainly get carried away and keep fighting till he couldn't any longer, but that wasn't the problem – it was the pink girl, who seemed like she'd do the same, but unlike him, she also healed from the damage she took, so he'd probably lose that fight. He couldn't fight the jinchuuriki alone, let alone her and her friend – but he also knew if he waited until she was done with Hidan, she probably wouldn't let him leave. He had to go now if he wanted to survive.

"What a pain." He muttered.

* * *

"Where'd you even come from, you little cunt? We killed all of the cat bitch's teammates already!" Hidan screamed hysterically, swiping at her with the black spike in his hand as Sakura danced away twirling his scythe, keeping an eye on her HP. The hit she had taken earlier had dealt a decent chunk of damage, though it wasn't anything too serious, as long as she started healing if this took a while. Her HP regen was essentially nullified due to Vermillion Bird of the South, so she'd have to use the Mystical Palm or the Cell Mystic Activation if he hit her again, and both had their flaws.

 _Even with Benevolentia and Industria, my skill with the Mystic Activation isn't high enough that the healing would offset the cost if I used my HP, so I'd have to use MP, and even then it still eats that like a bitch. Mystic Palm heals more than it takes even if I use HP, but then I only have one free hand, and I want to keep this scythe away from him if I can, and I'm not exactly a master with it._ "None of your business, freak!" She screamed back, smiling widely with excitement even as her brain went through scenario after scenario, trying to see what the best way to fight this guy would be.

 _From his loadout, he seems to be a melee-range fighter. It'd make sense – his friend didn't seem to do much if any fighting himself, leaving it to those black things. He'd charge in, while the other one is mid-range support. So then, assuming that…_ She easily dodged a swipe of the man's spike, amateurishly raking the scythe along his back as he did so, her incredible strength meaning that the normally ineffectual strike did a noticeable amount of damage that her opponent simply seemed to shrug off, trying to attack again as Sakura retreated, snorts of mirth escaping her. _The smart thing to do would be to fight him from mid-range, but the_ fun _thing would be to beat him at his own game. And since this is a pretty good test to see how strong I really am…_

Sakura stopped moving, Hidan doing the same once he realised she was still. She spun the scythe, resting it on her shoulder. "Let's have some fun." She giggled, before charging straight at the man.

"You're pretty goddamn crazy… If you weren't a fucking heathen, you'd be my type!" Hidan cackled, charging right back at her, spike raised so he could finally get a taste of her blood. His eyes widened as she vanished before his eyes, before realising that no, she had suddenly changed direction – but rather than going to the left or right in an attempt to circle around him, she had gone _up_ – and somehow hadn't lost any speed in doing so. She threw his scythe back down at him, forcing him to dodge to the side, where she appeared again, having instantly changed direction again, this time coming down. A sword was in his face before he could blink, and he knew he couldn't dodge cleanly in time, instead taking a page out of his opponent's book and diving into the attack.

Sakura's Swamp-made katana split Hidan open from right hip to left shoulder, even as he drove his spike into her own right shoulder. The immortal man leaped back, wrenching his weapon out of her, glad he had finally made contact, while Sakura looked at him quizzically, wondering how he was still moving so quickly considering almost all his organs were in plain view. "Don't you feel pain or something?"

"Of course I do! And it feels good…" Hidan moaned, drawing a pattern with his sandal on the ground. "I'd be worrying about yourself now, though, you little bitch… Don't worry, though. I'll make you feel great before I send you off to see Jashin!" He shouted, licking her blood off of the black spike. Sakura watched in fascination as his skin turned black, with white markings all over it. It reminded her of a skeleton more than anything. Hidan laughed manaically, clearly unhinged, as the smell of all of the blood spilt also began to get to Sakura, causing her to join him with another fit of the giggles.

"Curse Technique… Death Controlling Possessed Blood!" Hidan shouted, before raising the spike that Sakura now recognised as a stake made for torture rather than a weapon used for fighting, and bringing it down on himself, piercing his own heart. A moment passed, Sakura feeling odd for that time, before the metallic, coppery taste of blood filled her mouth and she was forced to cough it out, falling to her hands and knees. She glanced at her HP, which had suddenly fallen dangerously low, and a quick Diagnostic scan showed her heart was completely destroyed, before the Gamer's Body quickly restored it.

She stood, not bothering to wipe away the blood, and activating the Cell Mystic Activation as she did so, powering it with her MP. "Ow." She said, spitting out the last remnants of blood in her mouth. "That hurt." She finished, grinning at HIdan through blood-coated teeth, the vulgar Akatsuki member for once finding himself at a loss for words. Sakura stared at him blankly. _I think I've had enough fun fighting him. He hurt me, so now he's going to suffer. Just need to figure out how he did that and stop it._

Hidan grit his teeth, beyond confused. "I don't know how the fuck you survived that, but-" _My HP's high enough to use it for a moment._ For a second, Sakura turned on Suzaku, the Vermillion Bird of the South. Her orange eyes darkened, turning the crimson colour of fresh blood, while her body heat rose, blood and chakra evaporating and mixing into what looked like scarlet flames that ran down her body, while the same chakra flooded through her hair, turning it the same colour as her eyes. She Lunged forwards, grabbing Hidan by the face and throwing him out of the circle he had drawn, the throw sending him crashing through multiple thick trees before he flew into a rock.

Sakura quickly deactivated the technique, even that short period of using it having brought her already low HP back into the danger zone, rushing over to where Hidan had landed, finding a completely, horribly mangled – yet _still alive_ – pile of blood, guts, ruptured organs and bone, that tried screaming insults at her as she approached but failed, his diaphragm having torn in two at some point during his Sakura-assisted flight. Sakura felt positively giddy – both because of the blood making her want to go into a frenzy, but also due to the fact that he was still alive despite the punishment she'd dealt to him, _and_ his mind hadn't broken either. She could have _so_ much fun with him…

**Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one!**

She sat down, ready to get started, when Yugito dropped down next to her. She'd forgotten all about the Kumo woman and her opponent. "My opponent fled." The other woman said. "I see that your battle went well."

"Mm. That all? Shoo then, go home. I've got things to do." Sakura said, dismissing Yugito without even looking at her. "Oh, and tell your musclebound idiot of a leader to not mess with Swamp ever again, okay? I don't want him pulling stupid shit like what he tried with Abarai two and a half years ago. I won't have it."

Yugito's tone was even, despite the insult Sakura had thrown at her Kage, knowing that if this girl was truly what – no, who – she thought she was, she would easily be able to match the blonde Cloud kunoichi in raw strength, and likely would also be able to back up the threat. "I will. I just wanted to ask. I saw the last portion of your fight, and that technique you used at the end… I wanted to know what it was."

Sakura's head whipped around, and Yugito took a step back as she looked in the younger girl's orange eyes, the unbridled rage and killing intent taking even her aback, and she had felt the full brunt of the Nibi's anger on multiple occasions. "None of your business. Get out of here, before I change my mind." She stood up, turning around and taking a step towards her. "Unless-" Yugito vanished as soon as Sakura began to approach, not even thinking about risking her life fighting someone like her.

"Tch. Foreign scum." She scoffed, spitting on the ground. She glanced disdainfully at the still trying to speak head of Hidan, and crushed it underneath her heel, no longer in the mood to take her time with him.

Once she was sure that she was far enough away, which meant once she was past the Land of Lightning's border, Yugito took the chance to catch her breath, knowing just how close she had come to dying just then. At this point, after feeling that dark, almost venomous chakra, there was no doubt in her mind. She had to tell the Raikage that the Kyuubi container had marked the Land of Swamps as its territory. There was no one else the girl _could_ be. Yugito scoffed at the name the younger shinobi had given her, the one that was currently printed in the Bingo Book. Harukaze? She was nothing like spring. That implied beauty, grace, love… that thing wasn't grace, or beauty. She was death incarnate.

Yugito realised that, for the first time in her entire life, she was scared. That feeling that she had given off, right at that last moment… If she hadn't run right then, she'd be dead. She was almost certain of it. She shook her head, sweat pouring off of her as she chuckled. To hell with Spring Breeze, that didn't describe her at all. No… she was like a feral animal, one that would never die. What was that name, that Omoi had come up with? The one that everyone had laughed at? Eien no Sakura, right?

That fit far better. Eien no Sakura. The only shinobi that could make Nii Yugito lose her nerve.

**-END OF THE INTERLUDE-**

* * *


	38. Act I - Homestead

**A Life of its Own, Act I**

**Larger Than Life**

**Homestead**

"Sorry." Sakura muttered, looking at the mangled corpses leaking blood all over their nice floor. "But it's probably for the best it happened like this. At least this way it was quick and painless. If we'd met on the battlefield… Well, _I_ would've had fun, at least."

She'd have felt guilty about ruining their apartment, if they were still alive to live in it. The dog's head was completely gone, just leaving a headless white corpse in the corner. "Your name fits better now!" She noted with glee, giggling to herself before she swept the room, eyes falling on said dog's owner where he still sat slumped on the now heavily bloodstained couch.

His head was still there… kind of? She'd slashed off everything above the lower jaw with her bare hands… But the top half of his head still _existed,_ she supposed. It just wasn't attached any longer! Confirming that he was dead too, her eyes flitted over to the apartment's final inhabitant.

Ino's lifeless eyes stared blankly ahead from the ground, blood freely leaking from her gaping back. Sakura picked up the spine she'd removed from her, only now noticing that she'd managed to rip out the entire rib cage with it. "Huh! That's new." She dropped her former friend's spinal column back onto her cooling corpse, not having even a shred of respect for the dead, before scanning the room again.

"I could leave a clone here and act like all of us were killed… Nah. Don't wanna leave traces, after all, and I've already got one running around here... Though, to be fair, I wouldn't mind a _few_ people chasing me. It'd be fun killing Grass scum, I've never fought their type. Still… I'm done here. Time to bail." She said, before turning around and walking out of the apartment through the front door, her hand staining the handle with Kiba, Ino and Akamaru's mingled blood.

* * *

"Man…" Sakura sighed, her body shivering as she did so. "Damn, that really got me going. I can still smell the blood…" She said, before realising her hand was still covered in it. She looked up at the night sky as she made her way to Kusagakure's main gate, placing two blood-soaked fingers in her mouth and moaning as she sucked on them. "God, I wanna _kill_ something… And _slowly_ this time."

"What are you doing?" A voice shouted from behind her, and Sakura turned to look at whoever it was.

Karin had felt Kiba and Ino's chakra suddenly disappear. That by itself wouldn't have been enough to alarm her, as it was quite late and they could have gone to sleep… But what _did_ was the dark, evil, _hideous_ chakra signature that she had felt leaving the apartment, and the fact that it was _growing._ She knew who it was, she'd sensed her chakra as part of her processing earlier that same day. But it hadn't been as sickening… or as powerful.

Karin's eyes widened, as the girl turned around, and she saw the bloody hand that she was sucking on, and seemingly enjoying immensely too. "What have you done?" She whispered, and as Sakura finished turning, Karin made eye contact with her, and she immediately knew that without a shadow of a doubt that she would not live to see the next morning.

Her eyes glowed with a burnished orange light, and the intensity of her gaze along with the similar colour reminded her of Orochimaru's eyes. However, after looking for an instant more, she knew that they were nothing alike. Orochimaru had been… _touched,_ sure, but he had still been _human_ , as much as he fashioned himself after a snake. He had had human emotions, ambitions and desires, and all three had been clear in his eyes, his words, and his actions before he had passed.

But this girl… if Orochimaru had been somewhat disturbed, Karin thought that this girl had never even been sane to begin with. The utter depths of depravity she could see in those eyes chilled her to the bone, and she realised she wasn't even really looking into the eyes of another human – she was looking at a predator who had just caught sight of her prey.

A smile slashed the pink girl's face wide open as her Restraints came loose, white teeth glistening like blades screaming out for blood as she licked some of the excess away in anticipation and desire.

"You'll do."

* * *

_Two weeks prior…_

Sakura shook her head, hair still damp from her shower as she tied it back, at this point foregoing the braid that she had tried for a while, knowing now that when she really got going in a fight it just fell apart. Instead, the majority of her hair was brought back into a ponytail, extending down to her waist. The ends of it were roughly chopped where she had finally had enough of the length and had simply hacked away at it with a kunai, and despite the fact that she had tied it, the sheer volume of hair she still had meant the ponytail fanned out as it went further from her head, making the thing almost entirely useless as the bottom tips of her hair splayed out wider than her body.

She slipped on her typical combat vest and shorts, with the top-turned-jacket she favoured, and secured her weapon pouch and tied her katana to her hip. She looked around briefly at the room that she had called a home for the past three years, knowing now that her time her was finally up. Her eyes fell on that demon wind shuriken she had taken out all that time ago – back when she was preparing to deal with Abarai. She picked it up, staring at it wistfully – that had been a better time. She hadn't had any real worries back then, but now…

 _Maybe I should leave it here. Touka might want it, or something? She's the sentimental type… And keeps me on her mind even after I'm gone._ She smirked, her decision made, while she made sure that there wasn't anything that she'd forgotten. _Though honestly, I doubt much of it matters._ Deciding that there wasn't, she grabbed her backpack that she had brought to the country so long ago, her worn hitai-ate already secure inside of it, and wrapped Naruto's pink scarf around her neck. _Alright. Ready._

She sighed. This might be harder than she thought… No matter how much she hated these non-Konoha hicks, they _had_ taken pretty good care of her over these past few years. She really couldn't have asked for much more. And she'd gotten attached to a few of her pets here… It'd be sad to leave them to fend for themselves now. But… She knew she had far more important things to be doing elsewhere. She couldn't waste any more time out her in bumfuck nowhere; she had to get back to the shinobi world.

It was time to start making them pay for what they did.

She opened her door, compressed giant shuriken in hand, to see Touka standing outside as always, eyes noticeably red and puffy. Sakura smiled at her softly, but inwardly she had to try and supress the urge to laugh. "Aww, you poor baby… Come here, Touka-chan." She said kindly, and for once actually meaning it, at least somewhat. She pulled the other, shorter woman into a hug, who seemed to be struggling not to burst into hysterics. "It'll be okay. I can come visit whenever, you know?" _Fat chance of that happening._

"Must you leave, Sakura-sama? I know that Chichiatsu-sama-"

"I know what you're about to say, and my answer's no. I've got things to do and people waiting on me, Touka. I can't spend any more time here. You understand, right?" Sakura waited for her to respond, but after the lack of one, she continued. "Listen. I've got something for you." At that, the servant leaned back, looking up at Sakura.

"What… What might that be?"

"Well… This isn't exactly a regular civilian gift, but…" Sakura held up the demon wind shuriken, before continuing. "This is a weapon I brought with me here, and I told myself I'd find a use for it. But I never did, and I've sort of outgrown it now. I doubt you'll ever need it for its… _intended_ purpose, but I thought you might like it. As a memory kinda thing, y'know?"

Touka blinked wide-eyed, staring at the wicked-looking blade. "A-Are you sure?"

"Positive!" Sakura chirped.

Touka gulped, then steeled herself. "The-Then I would be honoured to accept it, Sakura-sama. I promise you I will take good care of it!"

"I'm sure you will." Sakura chuckled, placing the thing in the maid's hands, the other woman struggling to lift it up. "I need to see Chichiatsu now. I'll say bye before I leave!" Sakura began walking away before Touka had a chance to respond, smirking. _Well, now that I've offloaded that garbage… Let's see how my little king tries to bribe me to stay._

* * *

Sakura had expected money, or something along those lines. Perhaps jewels? Land even? But not… _this._ She hadn't noticed that Chichiatsu had gotten quite so… bold.

"If you were to become my wife, then you could quit being a shinobi and remain here! In truth, I didn't hire you because I needed a shinobi in the country, but rather because…"

"You wanted to groom me into being your bride."

"No! I-" Chichiatsu looked up, seeing the teasing expression on Sakura's face contrasting with the deadpan tone she had used, and then proceeded to sigh, knowing she had gotten the exact reaction she had wanted out of him. "It wasn't like that, obviously. I found you attractive, of course, but I never intended to coerce or force you into anything. You understand, right?"

"Of course." Sakura said, smiling at the closest thing she had to a friend in this country. "But you also understand that that would never have worked, right? _Maybe_ if… _recent events,_ shall we say, hadn't occurred then I would consider it, but now? My home needs me. More than ever. And I miss it, too. I can't justify staying here even another month, let alone the rest of my life. I need to return to the Land of Fire."

He sighed again, sinking into his chair. "You're right of course. I had never been so arrogant to think that you would accept, but… I dared to hope for quite a while."

Sakura's smile turned genuinely sad, the mass of swirling hatred that her heart had become allowing real emotion to peek through as she truly prepared to say goodbye. "I'm sorry, Chichiatsu-dono. If it helps… You are my friend, and I hope that that will always be the case." _Swamp people aren't_ that _bad. They can be friends, I guess…_

"And I you, Sakura-kun. You will always be welcome in the Land of Swamps."

"Thank you, Chichiatsu-dono." Sakura replied, bowing deeply in a show of genuine respect. "If you'll excuse me then… I'll be on my way."

"Of course." He nodded, smiling. "Get home safe."

* * *

The party that saw her off was small, two of those present there by choice, the other two by obligation. Sakura looked back at the maid that had served her, the samurai that she had surpassed, the advisor that had grown to fear her, and the lord that had brought her there in the first place. No doubt they all had things they wished to say to her, but… Their time was up now. By day's end, Swamp would be nothing but a memory, and so she left the palace without a word more to those gathered there, instead heading into the capital proper.

It took a slight amount of searching, but she quickly found what she was looking for – a merchant carriage. It was a simple matter to get them to hire her – most everyone in the city, if not the country as a whole, knew who she was, and she was slashing her prices to a ridiculous degree besides. All she wanted was food and to travel in the carriage while they made their winding journey across the continent, first passing through into many minor countries before finally landing in the Land of Fire.

Her reasoning for taking such a roundabout route was a simple one. Once she was back in the Land of Fire and in what remained of Konoha, she wouldn't be leaving the country again unless she had a mission outside of it. For all she knew, this return journey might be the only chance she would get to visit some of the minor countries of the world, and she had to see them all.

She had to look for her mother… and Ami, too. She had to bring them back home.

She knew that this would add significant travel time to her journey back home… maybe a couple of months. But it had to be done. If the lazy way began to take too long, there was nothing stopping her from just traveling like any other shinobi either. It's just… this would probably be the last time she'd be able to take it easy for a long time. _Might as well enjoy it, y'know?_ She thought to herself, the large farmer's hat she had just bought – _stolen –_ over her face as she lay on top of the now moving carriage as it began its journey out of the capital of Swamp.

* * *

She had imagined that the carriage journey would take a long time, but she hadn't expected it to be quite this slow. _This is how civvies have to travel? Seriously?_ They had barely made it out of Swamps, just stopping off in a town a couple of miles inward from the Grass border, and it had been a _week_. She hopped down from the carriage, hat still firmly in place. "I'll sort myself out, like usual. See you in the morning!" She called to the merchant driving the thing, who nodded, getting off himself and beginning to deal with his own business.

Sakura looked into the town, lip curling as she took in the tiny houses and shoddy looking shops. _What a shithole. This reminds me of that town in River where we found Rinka… Wonder if they ever did find out what was up with that place. That was fucking weird, in hindsight…_ She looked up at the sun, squinting. It was still high in the sky, but was definitely beginning to dip. Normally, they'd still be traveling at this time, but the merchant didn't particularly want to travel through Grass country when it was dark. He was scared of the shinobi, which made Sakura want to laugh. If he was scared of them, what the fuck did he think she was?

"Considering how much of a fucking dump this place is, there probably isn't another settlement for miles too… I suppose it makes sense to stop in a town if you're scared of shinobi." She blinked, as a thought just came to her. It was more likely than not people originally from Konoha had integrated into various shinobi villages, considering that they came from one themselves. That was doubly true if they were in big refugee groups – the only settlements that'd be able to handle them would be capitals or ninja villages. She'd only thought about checking the towns they stopped in along the way, but she was kicking herself about not even thinking of somehow checking out Kusagakure.

 _Well, not like the option's gone._ "Hey, old man!" She called out to the merchant, who jumped, turning to look at her, annoyed to have been interrupted from where he was haggling about the price of feed for his horses. "We going to Kusa on this trip?" She continued.

"Not a fucking chance! I'm not going anywhere near that hive of villainy!" _Bit prose-y there, don't you think? The hell do you think you're talking to?_ Sakura crossed her arms in a huff, annoyed. _It doesn't matter. I'll just break off when we're near it and then come back with whatever I find. Shouldn't be an issue._ She stretched her back out, yawning. _I haven't slept in a bed since leaving… haven't eaten anything but the shit the old dude cooks up since then either. Might as well splurge a bit…_ She nodded to herself, looking around for what might pass for a half-decent inn or hotel, before she stopped dead, realising something else.

_Wait. I don't have any money._

* * *

Four days later, Sakura found herself on the roof of the carriage as she normally was, staring at a map she had stolen two days earlier when they had finally stopped in a village that looked somewhat civilised. _Kusa's location obviously isn't just advertised on maps, especially on one that I picked up from some rando town… But looking at areas of interest in the country, as well as areas that logically should be used for something but aren't… I've got a few ideas about where it might be._

A fire clone appeared next to her, in the same pose as she currently was. Over the years, her clones had improved to the point where if they did nothing that required chakra, they could resemble her human form for about four and a half days, and then could still stay alive, albeit in a state entirely comprised of their constituent element for another day after that. The main Sakura grinned at the clone. "Stay with the old man, alright? You're the only way I'll know where he is."

"Got it, boss." The clone saluted, before instantly laying down, covering her face with her hat, and beginning to snore. Sakura rolled her eyes, before leaping off the carriage, going to her first point of interest.

* * *

It only took her a day to find Kusa, which was both quite pleasing that she'd done it so quickly, and disappointing that it had been so easy. Nevertheless, she approached the gates as brazen as could be, walking directly to one of the gate guards, who seemingly woke up from his nap, staring at her over the tall surrounding grass with bleary eyes. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah." Sakura's eyes flashed, Observing the man in front of her. _Level 22… Weakling._ She rummaged through her backpack, pulling out her tattered Konoha headband and placing it down on the desk separating the two of them. "I'm defecting. Will you guys take me?"

The gate chunin blinked, suddenly alert. "Wha- What do you-"

"I was on a long term deep cover mission for Konoha, which I only just completed. And then the first thing I hear once I'm out is that the entire place burnt down, or something. I'm not really the type to help with rebuilding and all that, you understand? So I thought I might take my talents elsewhere, y'know? Iwa's full of men with brains the size of pebbles, Kumo's too militant for me… But Kusa guys? I'm a sucker for you pretty boys, y'know. It's a match made in heaven." Sakura muttered, her husky tones being used to their full effect as she fluttered her eyebrows at the chunin who couldn't be more than four years older than her.

The man had the good grace to blush, trying and failing to be stern in the face of Sakura's flirting. "W-Well, I can't just let you in. At the very least, you'll have to go in for questioning-"

"Sure, sure, I get it. Happy to do whatever. Then once I'm all set, you and I could go catch dinner somewhere. Or maybe skip the dinner, and we'll just go over to your apartment." Sakura's smirk turned dark, but her eyes glittered with glee. "Two minutes and I'll have you _screaming."_

* * *

"How do we know that Konoha's not just sent you as a spy?"

"Come on, really? If I got picked for that, surely I'd come up with something better than just walking into your village and expecting to be welcomed in? You're not idiots." _Well, we'll see about that._ "Konoha's worthless now, it barely qualifies as a ninja village, let alone one of the Great Five. It makes sense that people'd be leaving."

Her interrogator sat back in his chair, stroking his beard and thinking. "I suppose you have a point."

Behind a one-way mirror, where they thought that Sakura couldn't sense them, a shinobi and kunoichi stood, observing the interrogation, while two other ANBU-equivalents stood behind, ready to engage if necessary. Sakura couldn't see what they looked like – not without closing her eyes and using Clairvoyance, at least, but she could easily tell about how strong they were even without Observing them, and she was confident that she could take everyone in this room, even in her current Restrained state.

"What do you think? Karin." The leader of Kusagakure, Haga Ryuzaki, asked the kunoichi stood next to him, having been alerted to the apparent defecting Konoha-nin's arrival when she had first appeared, but had only chosen to personally oversee the interrogation when five of his best sensors had all come to him separately, all saying that they had felt an incredible chakra entering the village. He had brought the red-haired girl with him, knowing that she had a talent for sensing that most everyone lacked, and so she should be able to give him the clearest reading on what exactly they were dealing with.

The girl in question adjusted her glasses before she spoke. "I'll check now, Haga-sama." She said, before closing her eyes, opening her senses… and immediately turning to the side, expelling the contents of her stomach all over the floor.

Inside the interrogation chamber, the corner of Sakura's lip upturned.

"Karin!" Haga shouted, holding the girl as she violently shivered and continued to vomit uncontrollably. Eventually, after a solid minute, she managed to control herself, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and shakily returning to her full height.

"I… I'm fine now, Haga-sama. I just wasn't… Expecting that."

"Expecting what?"

"Her chakra… It's the most horrifying, dark chakra I have _ever_ felt. I… What is _wrong_ with her? I- I can't-" She cut herself off, simultaneously retracting her senses so that she couldn't feel that… To call it chakra would be an insult to anyone else who had it. That _thing,_ that _feeling._ She shivered again involuntarily, before shakily nodding. "And before you ask, strength-wise… It's greater than even your own, Haga-sama."

The man's eyes widened at that. "Impossible. I'm no Hatake Kakashi or anything, but certainly I'm strong enough to have been placed in the Bingo Book. How could one with that kind of strength be a complete unknown?"

Karin shook her head and shrugged. "I don't know. She isn't lying, and she's not under a genjutsu either. I'm just as shocked as you." She adjusted her glasses again, staring at the girl through the mirror. She had thought that there was… _something_ about her before, but now that she had felt her chakra, she knew that this girl wasn't just some random person. Why was she here? Karin couldn't think of any reason why someone like her would come to a place like this. _Though I suppose… Orochimaru-sama did the same thing. God, I'm glad that snake is dead._

Haga was staring through the mirror, a troubled expression on his face. "One."

"Ha." One of the ANBU-equivalents melted away from the wall, appearing by his side.

"Keep an eye on this one. We'll put her with those other two former Konoha-nin, the ones around her age. With any luck, she won't cause any trouble, not if she'd cause her own to get hurt over it, but you never know. Be vigilant."

"Yes, Haga-sama!" The ANBU intoned, before disappearing.

"Haga-sama, are you sure? What if she's here to extract them?" Karin asked, worriedly glancing to her leader.

"There's not a chance. Ino has already begun teaching her clan's techniques to some of our sensors. There's no way she would have done that if she had any hope of returning home, or if she even wanted to."

"I suppose you've got a point there…" Karin said, having the niggling feeling that there was something… _wrong_ about just letting this girl free to see her former countrymen, but she quashed it in the face of her leader's superior judgement, no matter how much she wanted to speak out about it.

"I want you monitoring her, Karin. You're the only one who can tell what she's going to do by her chakra alone. I'm counting on you."

"Yes, Haga-sama." The kunoichi intoned, as the two left the room.

Sakura smiled.

* * *

The apartment didn't look like anything special from the outside, but Sakura was still excited. She'd been told that Konoha nin lived here. She hadn't thought that her search would be so easy, but it was as if Kami-sama himself had seen fit to just drop what she was looking for in her lap. She knocked on the door, refraining from Sensing what was behind it and ruining the surprise. A call of "Coming!" came clear through the boundary, and Sakura's smile widened, instantly recognising the voice and the person it belonged to.

The door swung open, the blonde woman inside first looking confused at seeing the person standing outside, before her mind began to whir, and she started to recognise what she was seeing. "Sa-"

**Mrs. Gorgeous  
LV 15  
Yamanaka Ino**

"Ino!" Sakura chirped as she launched through the door and wrapped the other woman in a hug, happier than anything to see her best friend again. Not expecting the sudden charge and extra weight, Ino fell back, squealing slightly at the sudden contact, but quickly becoming just as overjoyed as her friend, not having expected such a pleasant surprise that night.

"Sakura, it is you! Oh my god, you're okay! It's been so long, I was worried that you might've…"

"Hehe." Sakura chuckled, her head popping up and staring Ino in the eyes. "Nothing to worry about! I'm better than ever. Nothing in Swamp could come close to handling me!" She said, a happy grin splitting her face.

"Yeah. Of course." Ino murmured, smiling softly at her friend turned rival turned friend.

* * *

"So you're the only one?" Sakura asked, sipping at her tea.

"Not the _only_ one, but… the only one of our class at least. I mean, excluding Kiba, obviously." Ino said, her own cup sitting on the table, steaming away.

"Yeah… Where is he, anyway?"

"He and Akamaru went out to buy something. They should be back soon… But anyway. What've _you_ been up to, huh? What was it like, being a daimyo's guard? Was he, y'know… _hot_?" Ino frantically asked, desperate for gossip with someone who she knew could actually keep up with her in that regard. Sakura simply laughed.

"He was alright. If I hadn't started dating Ami before I left, there might've been something there… Not gonna lie, the thought did occur to me a few times, and he was definitely thinking about me, too. You know he asked to marry me?"

Ino shot up in her chair, letting out a scandalous gasp. "No way! And you said _no_? Are you crazy!?"

Sakura smirked behind her cup. "Well, yeah. If I'd said yes, I'd be stuck in Swamps the rest of my life. Don't get me wrong, the place is nice and all… but I was already bored of it. Probably would've ended up cutting and running eventually, even if I had said yes. Better to just rip the bandage off, you feel me?"

"Well… Yeah, I guess that makes sense." She said, sinking back down into her seat. "Still… I mean, he's a _daimyo,_ Sakura! You'd have been set for life if you'd gone with him!"

The pink haired woman raised an eyebrow at that. "Like I'm not already? I've got a three-year long mission payment waiting for me back home. Even if I retired as soon as I got back, I'd probably have enough to live off of till I die, even if I'm not exactly rolling in it. And even if I wasn't in such a good position, I still wouldn't take it. Yeah, I'd have more money than I know what to do with, but what good is it if I got nothing to live for?"

Ino was silent as she stared into her cup, looking at her wavy reflection as her mind wandered somewhere else. "It's waiting… back home?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah." _This is a good field test._ Sakura subtly activated her Delusory skill, focusing on the ANBU that had been tailing her since she had gotten out of Kusa's processing plant. As she began to speak to Ino, she crafted an illusion of her ending the conversation and leaving the apartment, silencing the real conversation going on as she did so. She was pleasantly… not _surprised,_ per se, but still quite pleased, that the ANBU believed it, following the illusion out of the building, seamlessly falling into step and then switching out with a clone that she formed down at ground level that proceeded to wander around the village.

Sakura took a few final gulps of her tea, using the drinking time to ensure that the ANBU was leaving the area with her Sensing, before she continued. "Yeah, back home. Why? You didn't think I was staying in this dungheap, did you?"

Ino blinked, surprised. "If… If you didn't come here to join the village, why are you-"

The door to the apartment swung open, a large white shape running through it towards a familiar smell that he yet hadn't smelt in years, although it did smell a bit… different to how he remembered. Sakura laughed, scratching the now huge dog behind the ears. She had known Inuzuka ninken could get big, but she couldn't even imagine how the tiny puppy she remembered could have transformed into the bear-sized creature Akamaru was now.

She looked up, grinning, looking Kiba dead in the eyes. "What's up, dog-breath?"

**The Wolf That Wishes To Be A Dog  
LV 40  
Inuzuka Kiba**

The man in question whistled, mentally remarking both on how the woman in front of him looked and how much her voice had changed, as well as her new smell, instantly being able to tell that she'd gone through a lot to get to where she was now. He matched her grin, flashing sharp teeth as he remarked "Yo, Sakura! Almost didn't recognise you, but in hindsight should've known instantly, what with that forehead and all. You can still see that thing from space!" He laughed, while Sakura's grin turned dark and her eyes shone with playful anger.

"Care to say that again, mutt? Or do you need me to beat your ass all over a training ground like I did three years ago again? I'd be happy to do it if that's what you're into."

"Heh." Kiba flashed his teeth again, flopping down on the couch next to Ino, his arm wrapping around her shoulders. "Nah, you don't need to do shit. You're way stronger than I am, I can smell it. Just like I can smell that you're that strong while holding yourself back, too."

Sakura blinked, before looking at her friend and pointing at Kiba. "Ino, how the fuck did dog-boy somehow grow a pair of brain cells? Did you find somewhere that you can buy them for the mentally impaired or something?"

Ino was clearly trying and failing to stop herself from laughing, but Kiba was taking it in stride. "Stop it, Sakura. Kiba-kun was never the smartest, but he wasn't an idiot either."

Sakura stared at her incredulously. "You're joking, right? Kiba's the only person in existence who's ever managed to get a worse grade on a test than Naruto, and while he wasn't a lot of things that people said he was, he definitely was an idiot, at least back then."

The mood of the room turned somber, as Sakura's words brought back memories for all three of them, Kiba and Ino reliving the Konoha Crush while Sakura reminisced for the thousandth time about her dead friend. "…Anyway." Sakura continued, after they had been silent for a few minutes. "Kiba, that's a chunin vest, ain't it? What rank are you now?"

"Heh. Chunin, but I've got an assessment coming up soon. If I pass, I'll be tokubetsu. Normally, it's the jonin evaluation, but… they're a little wary about a first-generation immigrant getting jonin rank, especially so quick. Don't necessarily blame them, either. I wouldn't do anything, but better safe than sorry, right?"

Sakura nodded along, his words making sense. "What about you, Ino? We never really got on to that when we were talking before."

Kiba's face dropped as Sakura asked the question, quickly trying to cut her off. "Ah, that's-"

"Kiba-kun." The Inuzuka looked back at his girlfriend, looking her in the eyes as she nodded and smiled. "It's okay, I can handle it."

"But Ino…"

"If there's anyone I can tell, it's her. I'll be fine." Kiba reluctantly nodded, sitting back, while Ino turned to Sakura, the cherry-haired girl now very curious as to what was going on.

Ino suffered through a heavy sigh, steeling herself, before continuing. "Back… Back in the Crush, three years ago… I thought that while it was a bit gross and not exactly for me, I thought the fighting was fine. I thought I just didn't want to be a frontline fighter, but I'd known that for a while. But then… that _thing_ appeared. That monster…" Ino's hands began to shake from where she had placed them on her knees, but she still pressed on.

"That thing… It turned the battlefield into a slaughterhouse. You don't understand what it was like, Sakura. Everywhere I looked, there were bodies. And not like… Not clean kills. They were crushed, torn apart, mutilated… but the worst were the ones that _should_ have been dead, but _weren't_. The barely moving piles of guts that cried out for me to help them, that could just barely breathe under their own power… It was horrible.

"I remember… I remember being covered in the blood of both the people I'd killed and the people I tried and failed to save. The smell of entrails and gore was everywhere, and every breath I took was like I was choking in a sandstorm. And In the distance, that monster was there, destroying everything, and no one was able to stop it.

"I thought I was going to die.

"Eventually… Eventually we were ordered to evacuate, and we made our way here with that evacuation party. We were told… that people would come for us, that we'd be taken back home. But no one ever came. So we just assumed… everyone had either run or fled. Now we know at least some survived, but…" Ino's hands were shaking violently now, and her voice was starting to crack, until Kiba slid his hands into hers, gripping them gently, the blonde smiling at him for his support.

"Ever since then… Ever since I can't even pick up a kunai without my hands shaking. The smell of blood just makes me think of all those people… and of that monster, too. I can't… I don't serve, anymore. I… I lost my nerve."

 _I understand. That explains her level._ "I get it. I hadn't realised things were that bad… You can only get so much from a written report, I guess." Sakura said, trying – _failing –_ to sympathise with her friend. "But… That makes things easier."

Ino blinked. "What do you mean?"

Sakura smirked. "Well, like I said before. I'm not staying here. I'm going back to Konoha. I was just taking… the scenic route back. I wanted to see if I could find anyone missing before I went back to the grind of missions."

"So… you're just here to visit?"

"Yes, and no." Sakura stood, stretching, before she extended her hand to the two of them. "Come back to Konoha with me."

The room was silent for a while, before Kiba snorted. "You're joking, right?"

"No, I'm serious. Let's get out of this shithole. They need us back home. Kiba, you're only a chunin, and Ino's not even a shinobi anymore, so it's not like they'd miss you two here. It's time to go back."

Ino looked at her friend, confused, before shaking her head. "Sakura… if we were going to go back, we already would've. I can't go back there, not after what happened. Kusa's our home now. We can't betray it and leave."

Sakura was silent, staring at the two of them, before responding with a clipped "I see," falling back into her seat. "Well, I tried at least. Do you mind getting me some more tea then, Ino? I may as well take my time here before I go. Dunno when I'll see you guys again and all."

Ino smiled softly at her. "Yeah, of course. Just give me a second." She said, getting up and turning to leave to the kitchen. As soon as she did, time seemed to slow, Sakura's eyes bleeding orange as Vermillion Bird of the South came into effect. Her eyes flicked around the room, seeing where Akamaru had lay down to sleep in the corner, and where Kiba was still sitting comfortably.

She sighed. She hadn't planned on doing this, but they'd forced her hand.

_They've gone native. Nothing I can say or do'll convince them to come back to Konoha, meaning they're Grass through and through now._

_And Konoha has no need for traitors._

Quick as a flash, she was over where Akamaru was laying on the ground, raising her hand in a Suzaku's Beak over the dog's head, before plunging it downwards. Her knife-hand ripped through the dog's skull like it was paper, reducing it to nothing but giblets, before she swivelled, turning her attention to Kiba, who was only barely beginning to react. She glided over to him on the hardwood floor, pirouetting and swinging her hand clean through his head on the end of her spin, leaving her facing Ino, who had barely even moved. Sakura simply walked over to her, thrusting her hand into her back, taking hold of her spinal column, and savagely ripping it out of her back, showering Sakura and the surrounding room in blood as she dropped it.

"Sorry." Sakura muttered, looking at the mangled corpses leaking blood all over their nice floor.

* * *


	39. Precipitation

**A Life of its Own, Act I**

**Larger Than Life**

**Precipitation**

Sakura yawned as she stretched out against the fallen log she had slept next to, joints extending and popping along with the crackling of the dying fire she had carelessly left burning through the night filling the air with sound. Undercutting those noises however was the shallow, strained breathing of the girl she had dragged out of Kusa the night before, who was pinned to a tree, her hands held above her head and attached to the trunk, both of them having been pierced through with a single kunai.

Sakura rose lethargically, knowing that she had already gotten all the enjoyment she possibly could from this toy. _Well, that's a lie… But I've got other things to be doing._ Her eyes raked the other girl who's name she had honestly forgotten and couldn't be bothered to check's body, the skin of everything from the neck down having been shaved off and then seared shut to stop her bleeding out. Her glasses hung limply from her face, one of the lenses shattered, and her eyes flicked up to Sakura's, fear filling them, causing the pink haired girl's own eyes to widen in glee and admiration.

 _She didn't break, even after all that. I'm impressed!_ She tapped the girl's face, the redhead recoiling from her touch. "Playtime's over. You're free to do whatever you want… though you've got to get yourself down. Try not to die now! If you last a couple of days, I'm sure _someone_ will find you. Later!" With a jaunty wave, Sakura turned away, beelining for the clone she had left with the old man. _Maybe I should kill her? ...Eh, who cares. It's Kusa, they're worthless. What are they ever gonna amount to? Nothin' to worry about._

* * *

It only took a couple of hours for Sakura to catch up with and switch places with her clone, the merchant carriage having not have moved far in ninja terms in the day they had been apart, especially for someone of her speed. She lay atop the caravan roof, the stolen hat covering her face as she rested, the rocking, steady movement of the horse-drawn carriage beneath her beginning to lull her to sleep. Just before her eyes shut, she thought of Ino and Kiba, not doubting or regretting what she had done, bur simply lamenting that they had forced her hand. She would've loved to have them around.

* * *

After another solid week and a half of travel, Sakura found that they were stopped in another settlement, but this one was different than the podunk places they had been to up to this point. It was a bustling, busy town, and she saw that the sun was still rather high in the sky at that. She quickly reasoned that the old man must actually have some business here, so she leapt off the carriage to ask him about the details.

"Yeah, 'm gonna be 'ere for a couple'a days. This is one of Grass's larger market towns. I won't need you till at least Wednesday mornin', so you can do what you like." The old man told her. Sakura had sort of lost track of the days at some point during her time in Swamp, only keeping track of dates rather than the day of the week, but a quick check off at a calendar in a general store told her that she had three days here to do what she wanted. After badgering him and telling him that he was getting a bargain from her as it was, the old man had even given her some money to actually pay for things. She could drink, eat, relax and play to her heart's content while she was here.

"How boring," she muttered, eyes burning orange as she picked at her ear.

* * *

Sakura flew through across the landscape at a breakneck pace. She knew that she and the merchant would leave the Land of Grass and head into the Land of Rain once he was done, and once he was done there he'd go to the Land of Fire. But if he was going to be spending so much time staying still… Well, she was free to go on a few trips of her own, and so found herself travelling to the Land of Waterfalls, heading for Takigakure specifically. Finding Ino and Kiba had bolstered the confidence she had in her idea, and seeing as Waterfall and Grass were neighbours, it would only make sense that Konoha refugees would seek shelter there too. Rain would likely be even better in that respect - with its centrality, there would definitely be _something_ there.

But that was for later. First, she had to find Taki. Waterfall's terrain was different to Grass, and therefore different to Fire's too. It was closer to the marshlands she had spent the past three years in, but that still wasn't quite the same - Waterfall was rocky and craggy where Swamp was mud and silt. Neither were like the grassy plains she was currently in, and all three were wetter and more humid than the hot, relatively dry Land of Fire was. Grass at least didn't have as much groundwater as she'd experienced in Swamp and expected to see in Waterfall, so at least for now she didn't have to expend any focus, however slight, on making sure she was sticking to the water's surface. It meant she could spend all of her focus poring over another map she'd… acquired, using the same logic she had to locate Kusa to find Taki.

"This map isn't detailed enough… I'll probably have to stop in a border town again, just so I can get one with all the country's terrain and infrastructure actually marked. Then I can pinpoint it a little more…" She muttered to herself as she continued running, even still trying to figure out possibilities of where the village lay with her limited info by thinking back to what she knew of the Second and Third wars, and any information she might've learnt in the past that could help her figure out where she was to go. It helped, but not as much as she wanted - the only war that Taki had been anything even resembling a major player in was the First, what with their attempted assassination of the Shodaime Hokage and their acquisition of the Nanabi, essentially using the threat of releasing that beast along with their deadly kinjutsu and that special water they had to scare people off from bothering them.

She of course knew this since they had covered the First Shinobi War in the Academy, however the world had changed so much - both due to natural development and decay, and the terrain-warping and reshaping nature of shinobi combat, in war and otherwise - that important locations and landmarks were barely mentioned in any way other than name, making them useless points of reference for her. As she'd already concluded, the map she had wasn't good enough. She'd have to find another somewhere in Waterfall. She blazed over the border, racing past a shinobi outpost that might have noticed her? She wasn't entirely sure if she was travelling fast enough that they missed her completely, but if they hadn't, she was certainly running fast enough they definitely wouldn't have been really been able to see anything about her appearance, or give chase, so the point was basically moot.

The change in terrain came almost immediately after crossing the border, the strange geography of the Elemental Nations on full display as rolling fields of grass suddenly became canyons filled with streams and craggy waterfalls flowing into beautiful lakes and rivers. Sakura might have slowed down a little to appreciate the scenery, and slowed a little more to ensure she was traversing the terrain correctly, the slower speed making her realise that against all odds, someone actually _was_ giving chase, and they were actually gaining on her. Of course, she wasn't going quite at full speed… Her eyes flashed orange for a moment as she contemplated leaving the chasing shinobi in the dust, before fading to jade as she thought better. This mook would be able to take her straight to the village, and if they didn't, she could just kill them and go back to the original plan. It was no big deal.

With that in mind, Sakura stopped, turning and leaning against a rock, waiting for her pursuer to show up. She wasn't left waiting long, the other shinobi leaping up from a crag below, and landing to face her. Sakura's eyes quickly flicked over the other shinobi - or kunoichi it seemed, rather - taking in the huge zanbato strapped to her back, the fact that her entire right arm was covered in a huge metal gauntlet that ended in clawed fingers, her chestnut brown eyes, her long... purple… hair…

Sakura's words caught in her throat at the exact same time the woman across from her's breath hitched, as she Observed the kunoichi, already knowing who she was but desperately needing the confirmation that only her power could give her.

**Black Knight  
** **LV 51  
** **Kokuma Ami**

Ami was lost for words. The woman she had chased this far and who was now stood before her was beautiful in a way the Sakura she had known never had been, in the same rugged way that one might call an impossibly fine and sharp blade a thing of beauty. Her hair was different, as was her attire. She carried a katana now, and carried herself differently too, and she no longer wore a forehead protector. Not to mention… Her eyes. They were… the same, and yet completely different. If not for the scarf, Ami truly would have thought this had been a case of mistaken identity, and was about to treat it as such, until the moment that she realised that Sakura had recognised her.

The way all her features immediately softened, her eyes became kinder, blood rushed to her cheeks and a smile crept up to her lips… This couldn't be anyone else but _her. Her Sakura_. Ami felt so happy that she could cry, but then her words three years ago came back to her like a slap to the face, and with them the underlying resentment that had been growing and festering ever since. _She only thinks about herself… And the 'bigger picture', I bet. She won't apologise, I know she won't._ _She…_ Ami steeled herself, wiping the ghost of a smile that had begun to appear on her face away. "What's your business here, intruder?" she asked impassively.

The coldness of the question stopped Sakura in her tracks, who had been about to practically leap onto the other woman in joy. She blinked in confusion before answering "Ami, it's- It's me, Saku-"

"I asked you a question."

"Ami, why are you-"

Ami's armoured right arm rose, her hand clenching the handle of her zanbato as her teeth clenched. "Answer the question, or I'll-"

"You'll what? Attack me?" Ami's heart rate skyrocketed, as the temperature seemingly plummeted, Sakura's mood shifting along with it. Despite the pink haired woman not releasing a drop of killing intent, Ami felt like she was being subjected to some of the strongest she'd ever come across. It was her eyes - they weren't the almost mad ones she had caught a glimpse of at first before they recognised each other, nor the soft green that was so close to the ones she remembered that Sakura had wore after that point. They were as cold and unforgiving as shards of ice, and screamed nothing but danger. "You and I know both know that's not a good idea. You've never beaten me before, so what would make now different? Don't force something we'll both regret. I don't want to hurt you."

"Don't you see this?" Ami asked, tapping the Takigakure headband that she wore loosely around her neck. "I'm not a Leaf nin. Why would you ever say you don't want to hurt me?"

"Because I love you."

Ami's eyes widened, involuntarily taking a step back, not being able to comprehend how those words had been said in such a simple, matter-of-fact tone. "How… How can you just say that?"

"Because it's the truth." Sakura said, staring straight into Ami's soul, no emotion on display anywhere, only further showing the other woman that what she was saying was no lie. "What else do you expect me to say?"

"But… You… You just…" Ami didn't even know what she wanted to say, so trying to find the words to say it was an exercise in failure. Still, somehow, it seemed that Sakura understood, her gaze softening again as she saw and felt the charade of Ami's stony face crumbling.

"I know. I'm sorry I didn't have the chance to say goodbye. And I'm especially sorry that… I wasn't there. When everyone needed me… when you and Naruto needed me. I wanted… have been wanting to make it up for you. I know that I can't really… ever _do_ that, but I've wanted to try. It's… shit, I'm sorry. I'm no good with apologies…" She tried to step forward, but Ami backed away again.

"No, you can't… You say this now, but how do I know that you _mean_ it? What's stopping you from… from just-" Sakura stepped forward faster than Ami could react, wrapping her in her arms, realising that Ami was now a good half a head taller than her.

"I won't do it again. Because I love you."

It began to rain, despite the fact that there were no clouds overhead.

* * *

A quickly made campfire crackled between the two of them as they spoke, reminiscing about the past and catching each other up on what had been happening to the two of them. Ami spoke long and hard about the invasion, allowing Sakura to piece together details she hadn't gotten from Ino and Kiba's accounts, along with her time spent in Takigakure and Taki no Kuni in general. "It's… not exactly like home, but… it's similar enough, I suppose. Shibuki-sama is no Hokage, but… he tries."

"Well, they took care of you enough that you're here, so that's good enough for me." Sakura paused for a moment, before she continued on, a slight bit of worry sparking in her mind. "Do you have anything there you want to pick up before we go?"

Ami blinked at the question, confused. "Go? What do you mean?"

Sakura shifted uncomfortably, not liking where this was going. She had no regrets about what she had done before, and if it came to it, she wouldn't have any here either, but… She very much wished that she wouldn't have to go that far. Not after they'd just found each other again. "I mean… Back home. To the Leaf." In Sakura's mind, Ami clearly wasn't as attached to the Waterfall village as Ino and Kiba has been to Grass - after all, Ami herself had referred to the Leaf as home still. She hoped that that would be enough to convince her.

"You… want to go back?" Ami said, quietly, eyes downcast. She took a moment to gather her thoughts, before she sighed. "But… I can't. How am I meant to face Aya? I… Rinka died because I left-"

"She isn't dead."

"Huh?" Ami looked up at Sakura, the bubblegum haired woman's eyes gleaming.

"She's not dead. When I… received the news, I was also sent the details of our missing and dead. That's why I'm even here - I'm taking the scenic route back home to see if I can find anyone who's missing and bring them back with me. But the point is - she wasn't on that list. So she's alive, and she's in Konoha. So's Aya, Sasuke, Shikamaru… Not everyone died, you know. There's still a place for us. With them."

Ami began to tear up, relieved to hear that her friend was still alive. She looked away, staring at the fire. "But still… I've tried to make my place here. I've finally settled down, gotten used to it… I have friends here too. Do I really… Have to just go back?"

Sakura reached over, clasping onto Ami's armoured hand, feeling a pleasant warmth from it despite the cold steel she was touching. "I can't force you to do anything… But I'm going back. And if there's even a chance I can do that with you there with me, I'd do _anything_ to make that happen."

Ami brushed away her tears with her other hand, looking back at Sakura and smiling. "Since when did you get so cheesy?" She whispered, causing Sakura to smile as well as the tall, violet haired woman shifted closer, leaning into her as she did.

* * *

Sakura rested by the dying fire, Ami having left to return to her post and later, to the Waterfall village. She still hadn't made her decision, but… Sakura was confident. Ami was easy to wrap around her fingers again. Though, that being the case… It's not like she had lied to the woman, either. She had been genuine in everything she'd said - and that was to her benefit. Had she tried to manipulate Ami like she had done to so many others in Swamp, she most likely would've seen right through it, or otherwise rejected her outright, and Sakura couldn't have that. Didn't _want_ that. "And nowadays, I get what I want, when I want it…" she muttered.

The campfire crackled in response, causing Sakura to realise she hadn't eaten in quite a while, and moreover, it had been _years_ since she'd last had rations, or anything even resembling a fresh campsite meal. She sat up from where she had lain, splayed on the ground, scratching the side of her face idly. "Need to wait here for her anyway, so may as well… I've forgotten what rabbit tastes like, it's been so long."

She stood up, stretching and yawning as she did,smiling as she felt and heard her spine popping and cracking. She smiled as she let her Sensing expand outwards, instantly becoming aware of the countless creatures hidden in the rocky crags around her, and-

"Hello there!" She chirped, appearing behind the shinobi who had slowly been creeping up on her. The man whirled around in surprise - how had she been able to cross the distance in such a short time? Was she actually that fast? That was utterly absurd! Unaware or uncaring of the shinobi's current thoughts however, Sakura pressed on. "What were you planning on doing? If you wanted to come have a chat, you could've just said so. I don't bite. Well, unless you want me to."

Her hand twitched at her side, the urge to just rip off this peon's head being almost impossible for her to contain - but she knew she couldn't, not now. Not while there was a chance - however slight - of Ami not coming with her. It would be so easy to deal with whatever problem this idiot was surely about to drop in her lap that way… But it was worth the wait. _She_ was worth the wait.

The chunin stood to his full height, realising now that he towered over Sakura quite significantly. Bolstered by his seeming physical dominance - even if a voice at the back of his mind was telling him that their difference in size didn't mean a thing - he spoke with confidence. "We've received reports of an unidentified armed woman illegally crossing the border. You match her discription."

Sakura blinked. "Illegally crossing? What, do we need passports now? We can come and go through countries as we please."

"The Land of Waterfalls has recently tightened its restrictions on movement. Didn't you know that?"

"Not really, no. Been livin' in the boonies for a while now." She muttered, digging into her ear with her pinky. _Explains why the old geezer wanted to take the roundabout route through Rain before the Land of Fire, despite how poor that country is… Why've they closed the borders, though? There's no war… No, there's no way. I would've been notified, called back… Hm._ "Why's the border shut, then?"

"That's on a need-to-know basis."

"Uh huh. And you don't need to know, I get it. Figures, you aren't important."

The chunin spluttered at the unexpected insult. "I-I'll have you know I was the Rookie of the Year-"

"Dude, you're like… 20 years old, and still a chunin, who's job is watching the border while it's not even wartime. You're the definition of fodder. The fact that the only thing you have to argue me with is stuff from when you were in the fucking Academy proves it."

"You-"

 _He's angry now. Well, if he attacks me…_ "Don't blame me for your lack of talent, man. Maybe you'll make tokubetsu sometime in the next 15 years. Anyway, though… what are you gonna do to me? Or do you need someone higher ranked to tell you what to do?"

The chunin saw red. He reared back for a punch, lunging forward, before-

He heard a solid clang of metal, as his fist collided into Ami's armour-plated arm, she having stepped between them and stopped Sakura's katana midswing by grabbing her wrist, the blade mere centimetres from the chunin's neck. "The _hell_ do you think you're doing, Souichiro? Are you _trying_ to cause an international incident?" She barked, the chunin blinking, before jumping back and bowing in apology.

"I-I'm sorry! I let my anger get the best of me. I apologise-"

"Quiet! I don't want to hear it. Get back to the outpost."

"Sir!" Souichiro said, before disappearing with a Body Flicker.

Ami sighed, before glaring at Sakura, who had turned away, whistling nonchalantly. "Care to explain what just happened there?"

"Dunno what you mean, babe. He got mad, and I was going to defend myself-"

"Sakura. Don't lie to me." The jovial tone Sakura had tried to put on the situation shattered, the temperature in the clearing falling as everything suddenly became serious. "Do you think I couldn't feel the bloodlust coming off of you there? You might've manipulated him to attack first, but you wanted that fight. Didn't you?"

Sakura's smile faded, looking Ami in the eyes.

"Tell me. Right now. Or I'll report you to Shibuki-sama right now, and I'll never set foot in the Land of Fire again. And I want the fucking truth."

"Fine. You're right. I just thought it'd be easier than whatever he actually came here for."

Ami stared back at Sakura, searching for something in her eyes, before nodding. "Fine. Come on, let's go." She said, turning a seemingly random direction.

Sakura tilted her head quizzically. "That's it? Really?"

Ami scratched the back of her head, embarrassed. "All I asked was for you not to lie to me. I just need to know that I can trust you still. And… you didn't. So… this can work, I think. Come on, before I change my mind. We've not got much time."

Smiling, Sakura followed Ami, as they disappeared from the environment.

* * *

Sakura waited for Ami just inside of a cave entrance, a few miles away from Takigakure proper. It was a little close; any nin worth their salt would be able to find it in a couple minutes if they were really searching, but no one should be searching for her - the only ones that knew about her were the border patrol, and Ami had already dealt with that.

"Alright, Sakura. Come out." She did, stepping out to see Ami in a more casual style of dress than the combat fatigues they'd met in, sporting a sleeveless and shoulderless navy combat vest and shinobi leggings of the same colour, with black combat boots as well. She had a long-sleeved camouflage jacket with a high collar on as well, and had a rather large storage scroll strapped to her back as well, underneath her zanbato. Sakura could also see that underneath her jacket sleeve, her right arm remained just as armoured as before, covering everything up to the shoulder as before.

Sakura whistled, grinning at the other woman. "Looking good, babe." Ami flushed, not having expected that reaction, but still kept her cool, despite the blood rushing to her face.

"Come on. I made up some bullshit excuse about having to track down a missing-nin we've seen near the border. The guy does exist, but it won't take me a week to find him like I said it would, and the other border-nin know that. We need to kill him and get out of here before they're asked about it." She said, turning away.

"Sure, sure. Why do we _need_ to kill him, though? We could just leave, y'know?"

Ami looked back at her, shrugging. "He's got a decent bounty on his head. It's free money, really."

Sakura grinned. "Good enough for me. Let's go."

* * *

True to Ami's word, it didn't take a week to find him - it actually took less than 30 minutes, and that was without Sakura even using her more powerful sensory abilities. It was like the guy wasn't even trying to cover his tracks. The two of them found him simply sitting at a campfire, the fire itself lighting up the rapidly dimming surroundings in the evening twilight.

**Envoy of the Howling Hundred  
** **LV 55  
** **Zaizen Kenzan**

Ami stood from the rock outcropping they had been watching him from, gripping the hilt of her zanbato. "Alright, I've got this." She muttered, before jumping down to meet him before Sakura could stop her.

 _Shit, he's got a higher level than her! She probably won't be able to beat him._ She felt like she should be panicking, but then again… she hadn't been able to for… years at that point. _That's fine, though. I can step in whenever. I won't let him kill her._

Zaizen also stood, having noticed the two of them a while ago - they hadn't tried to suppress their chakra at all while looking for him. He was rather surprised, and happy too - he would much prefer a straight up fight anyway. He ran a hand through his brown hair, staring down the purple-haired woman approaching him. _She's big… And strong too, if she can use that thing. This will be fun…_ "You here for the bounty too?"

"I am." Ami stated simply, drawing her zanbato from her back before impaling it in the ground in front of her, and taking ahold of the scroll on her back and unfurling it, holding the scroll in her left as she picked her weapon back up with her right. Zaizen raised an eyebrow at this, intrigued to see what she'd do, before chuckling.

Without another word, he lunged for her throat, fist coming inches from crushing her windpipe before she dodged out of the way, pushing her left hand upwards and throwing the scroll, in turn pushing up a seal on the unfurled scroll. "Water seal, release!" She cried, as the scroll left her hands and she slashed at Zaizen with her huge sword. Two things happened at once in that moment.

Zaizen's eyes flashed, his sense of danger borne from years of experience screaming at him. He leapt away from Ami and her weapon, as the scroll that Ami had thrown released one of its seals, releasing a sudden gout of water into the air, causing a sort of localised rainfall to occur over the immediate area.

As Zaizen landed on his feet again, hair and clothes beginning to wetten, he hissed in pain, a wound having opened up on his torso, despite having cleanly dodged Ami's attack. He had no time to think, however - he watched as Ami's left hand flashed through one-handed seals, and then pushed forward, a cannonball-sized ball of water that had formed in her hand from the "rain" she had caused launching towards him as a result.

The Water Release: Gunshot flew at Zaizen at breakneck speed, the man only barely managing to dodge that as well, and remained on the backfoot as Ami instantly charged in, a sword of water forming in her left as she attacked him from two angles at once. Sakura watched, impressed. _Water Release, one-handed seals… and what looks like wind chakra flow, too. She's been working hard. And considering she's literally only gotten started…_

Sakura started feeling a little… hot and bothered. Honestly, she had almost disregarded Ami as a real combatant - at least, on on her own level - upon seeing her level, but this… This was exceeding her expectations by a longshot. Watching Ami perform this well in battle - especially against someone theoretically stronger than she was - was making her more attractive by the second. She bit her lip as her eyes began to glow with an orange light, watching Ami's every twitch with intense concentration.

Zaizen roared, his neck and arm muscles bulging, as he sent a punch right at Ami's blade of water, shattering it into tiny droplets. Ami brought down her zanbato, the missing-nin raising his other bare forearm to block the attack. The wind-enhanced blade cut all the way to the bone before Zaizen was able to cut off the attack, sending Ami reeling with a powerful headbutt that shattered her nose.

The purple-haired ninja involuntarily recoiled, and Zaizen followed up with a kick to her torso, sending her flying back and causing her to lose her grip on her weapon as well, the wind-natured chakra rolling around it instantly ceasing as it lost its energy source. Ami managed to stop herself before she was sent careening into a rock, but Zaizen was already on her, and she only barely rolled out of the way of a punch that shattered said rock into rubble.

Even still, Ami flew through seals, both hands going through their own separate sets. At once, two things happened - the localised rainfall Ami had created turned black, and Zaizen was blown back by a powerful blast of wind from Ami's palm. "Water Release: Angry Poison Rain." Ami stated calmly, as the black rain began to fall heavier than before. Zaizen's eyes widened, but it was too late. The black water fell and clung to his body, staining his skin and hair and even clouding his vision. He screamed, clawing at his eyes to try and remove it - but before he could, Ami picked up her sword again, and with one swing, cleaved him in two.

Instantly, the rain turned clear once again, and Ami sighed, relaxing. Sakura was by her side instantly, excitement in her eyes and questions at her lips. "Holy shit. After that, I'm not sure whether I want to fight you or fuck you. We're _totally_ doing both as soon as we get a chance."

Ami looked over at her, seeing that she was being completely serious about what she'd said, and couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, come on a bit stronger why don't you," she muttered as she closed the seal she had opened on her scroll, stopping the outpouring of water and rain, as she also stored Zaizen's head into one of the storage seals further down the scroll. "Fine, sure. It has been a long time since we last sparred, hasn't if?" She blinked, before continuing. "Hey, uh… what's up with your eyes?"

"Oh, that? Happens when I get excited sometimes. It's this Hutus I learnt, I've got so much control over it now sometimes I turn it on without thinking." Sakura chuckled, before stepping over and cupping Ami's cheek, using her other hand to begin healing her broken nose. "The real question is where'd you learn all that? Wind Release, Water Release, chakra flow, one-handed seals… and that poison rain, too! That seemed pretty fucking brutal."

Ami outright laughed at that one. "Oh, that? That jutsu literally just turns water black and sticky. It's not harmful at all. I just call it that 'cause it makes people lose their cool if they've never run into it before."

Sakura grinned. "That's _brilliant._ You ever thought about making another jutsu that like, keeps the water looking the same, but turns it into acid or something?"

"The idea's occurred to me, but I'm not exactly…"

* * *

The two got distracted, talking for a couple of hours about the new things they'd learnt while they're been apart while they slowly wandered out of the country. Sakura learnt that Ami's water seal had been made purely to make up for her inadequacies.

"I'm naturally a wind nature, but pretty much everyone in Taki is water or earth. I tried learning earth techniques, but I pretty much couldn't get anywhere, so then I started with water. Problem is, I'm so incompatible with water jutsu that it takes me ages to form the jutsu if I use the same handseal sequence as everyone else, and if I use a longer sequence to make up for it, that's essentially still the same problem - it takes too long.

"That's why I learnt how to do one-handed seals originally - my idea was that I'd be able to fight while forming my jutsu, so taking a long time to form them wouldn't be an issue. But then I ran into the problem of even if I could fight at the same time, because of how long it took for me to get my jutsu ready, my enemy would know what I was trying to do way before I could actually use it. So I needed something else. That's when I had the idea of the water scroll.

"See, water jutsu are a bit different than the other elements. With fire and lightning, you're just converting chakra into another form of energy, essentially. And with earth and wind, you're moving things that already exist in abundance around you. But with water, unless you're by a source of it, you have to gather water from the vapour around you, or you have to make water inside your body using your chakra. Either one of them takes far longer relatively than doing the same would for the other elements, especially when it's a novice trying to do it."

She tapped the scroll, safely secured to her back before she continued. "But my water scroll solves that problem. Because not only is it a free source of water that I can take with me, but it's also already laden with my chakra. The actual seal is two parts - one stores water, and the other stores my chakra. Then, the seal infuses my chakra into the water, making so that when I release it, all I have to do is shape the water into whatever I want - the chakra to power it is already there. Even then, I'm still so bad at water jutsu that just doing that takes about as long to do for me as it would a normal person to form the jutsu from scratch.

"I had to learn quite a bit of fuinjutsu to develop the seal, but it was worth it. Eventually, I'll get good enough at Water Release that I won't need it anymore, but until then…" Sakura nodded, having easily followed along.

"That's a good way to cover a weakness of yours. I definitely wouldn't have thought that you were bad with water jutsu, watching that fight. Just make sure you don't end up relying on it too much, I guess. You won't always have it."

She scoffed. "Don't worry about that. I've got way more than that up my sleeve." She muttered, hand going to her armoured shoulder in seeming phantom pain. Sakura noted that, but chose not to pry. Instead, she grinned, feeling a sense of pride that Ami had grown so much, the feeling of pride in another itself evoking confusion and unfamiliarity after having not felt anything close to it for so long.

"Also, where are we going?"

"Hey, this was your idea, and I did what I had to do already. I thought you knew?" Ami responded, deadpan.

"You've got a lot of misplaced faith, babe. I've just been going in a random direction." Sakura's grin only grew wider as she saw the other woman roll her eyes. "Just take us to the nearest border, then I'll figure it out."

"You want to go to Rain?"

"That's the nearest country?" At Ami's nod, Sakura stopped for a while, thinking about it. "Actually… yeah, why not. Don't think the mode of transport I was taking before could have both of us anyway, so might as well ditch him. Would've just ended up going through Rain anyway, so let's just head there now. You know where the village is?"

Ami blinked. "Of course I don't. What, are you-"

"Yeah, 'course. I didn't come all this way just looking for you, even if you were a big reason for it. I'm taking back everyone who's willing, but to do that I've got to get into all the villages I can."

Ami stopped this time, looking off into the distance. "You probably wouldn't be able to get into Rain anyway. Don't you know that Hanzo managed to beat the Sannin by himself?"

"He's old now." Sakura said, brushing off Ami's concern. "Besides, even if he's just as strong as he was then, that's a good thing." Her voice darkened as her eyes sparkled with orange light. "I'll be able to see how I match up to one of the real legends of the world. I'll finally know just how strong I really am."

Ami was silent for a few moments, before she spoke up. "You honestly think you'd be able to fight someone like that?"

"I do."

"...Hmm. You've got to tell me about what you did in Swamp, because it must've been some good shit to make you even more crazy than you were three years ago."

"I thought you'd never ask! Well, it all started with a dog who decided he wanted to be king…"

* * *

The two of them found themselves at Rain's border in no time, Ami having taken them to a section that she knew to be relatively lax in terms of its monitoring, at least on the Waterfall side. The two gazed over into the neighbouring country, in the distance seeing the rolling storms that gave it its name.

"You ready to go?" Sakura asked, softly. It was the point of no return. Either Ami came with her here, or…

Ami let out a shuddering sigh, nodding to herself to try and calm down. She had thought earlier that the decision had been made, but… she knew now that the moment she stepped foot over the border, there was no going back. She'd be a missing-nin, at least until Konoha took her back in… Knowing Sakura, actually, she bet that she didn't even know if they _would_ take them back in. Considering the situation and who was currently running the place, the chance of them not being welcomed back was minuscule, but still…

She hesitated, and Sakura noted the minute change in her demeanour. Her hand drifted to her katana, already thinking of the fastest, most humane way to dispose of Ami if she decided to have second thoughts… but to her immense relief, the other woman sighed again, smiling at her.

"Yeah. Let's go home."

* * *

They didn't move as quickly and recklessly through Rain as Sakura had through Grass and they had together through Waterfall. The terrain was completely unfamiliar, as were the shinobi. Rain were poised to take over Leaf's spot in the Five Great Shinobi Villages, after all - and so the already isolationist country's security had become tighter than ever over the past few years. It was at times like this where Sakura's sensory capability was invaluable, as it allowed them to stay far away from most shinobi, whether they be singular ones or entire squads on patrol.

Had she been alone, Sakura would've thrown all the caution she was showing to the wind - she was so sure of her own strength that she fully believed it would be easy to kill any of the Ame shinobi they ran across if it came down to it, and besides, the whole reason they were even heading further into the country rather than sticking to the outskirts was _because_ of the shinobi - she needed to see if any of them were Konoha natives, after all. However, while Ami was strong - stronger than her level would imply, certainly - one thing Sakura knew she wasn't was durable, at least in the way that she herself was. Her wild style of fighting would probably get her hurt, perhaps even killed if she wasn't careful.

In addition, Ami brought up a rather good point - it's not like she needed to confront every Ame shinobi directly to tell if they were from Konoha or not. She would likely be able to sense the difference, and even if she couldn't, as long as they kept their presences completely suppressed, she would probably be able to get close enough to at least see their faces without alerting them.

Following that train of logic, the two of them found themselves slowly trailing various shinobi around the country over the next few days, coming closer and closer to the Hidden Village itself. The current game plan seemed to be working well, even if they hadn't found anyone they knew yet, and would've worked out great - if they hadn't run into someone they _did_ know.

* * *

"Are you sure?" Ami asked quietly, eyeing the shinobi Sakura had singled out, watching them dry theirhair from the quick rinse they had taken in the river.

"Positive. Surely you see it too?"

"I do, kinda. If I could see the face, though…"

Sakura watched closely, as the shinobi carefully put on the black cloak emblazoned with red clouds that she swore she had seen somewhere before, even if nothing was coming to mind right at at that second.

"Don't worry. I know it's her. Without a shadow of the doubt."

The kunoichi flicked her blue hair over her shoulder, turning slightly, her pale lavender eyes seeming to twinkle in the soft light of the moon.

**The Pain Of The Heart Is The Truest Pain There Is  
LV 48  
** **Hyuuga Hinata**

* * *


	40. Pain

**A Life of its Own, Act I**

**Larger Than Life**

**Pain**

"Gonna go talk to her." Sakura said, before leaping out from the underbrush she and Ami had been hiding in, making a beeline straight for Hinata.

"Wait, Saku-" Ami tried to call out, but the other woman was gone before she even opened her mouth. "Dammit, she never-" Ami's eyes widened, as she watched Hinata instantly react to the sound of Sakura's movement, momentarily tensing, before relaxing as recognition dawned in her eyes. Sakura approached,m chattering away, and so was caught completely off guard when Hinata attacked her with a palm strike to the temple, knocking her out instantly.

Ami reacted immediately, running from the area in an attempt to escape the Byakugan activation she knew was coming, Hinata's all-seeing eyes did catch her, but only managed a glimpse. She stared in the direction her former classmate had gone for a moment, before deactivating her dojutsu, picking up the fallen Sakura, and disappearing into the night.

Ami finally stopped to catch her breath in a town near the border of Rain and Fire, still only about 80% sure that Hinata or some other Rain shinobi wasn't following her. She couldn't believe that Sakura had been so stupid - it was like she really, truly believed that no one could get the better of her. She''d lost all her common sense, her sense of self-preservation - it was nothing like how she would've acted when they'd last been together, and she'd been pretty reckless even then!

"Damn it... I can't just leave her. But how the hell am I meant to help her now? Even if I can get into the village, I won't know where she's being kept... Damn it, Sakura, you fucking moron."

* * *

Instead of waking with a jolt like one might be prone to do in her situation, Sakura instead returned to the world with an eerie amount of calm. Her regular breathing didn't stop or change pace, her heartbeat remained steady, and she didn't move the slightest inch. _Judging from my stomach… I'd say it's only been a couple of hours, maybe? Certainly no more than 6. So it should still be night out..._ Eyes still closed, her chakra still flowing as slowly as before, she listened and sensed the world around her, seeing what was happening.

Instatly, she was aware she was bound to some sort of table, likely one to be used for interrogation or torture. There were multiple binds around her arms, legs and torso, and even one holding her neck steady. In addition, her hands were bound together in what she assumed were chakra cuffs. The table itself was hung somewhat diagonally, so that she was still laying on it, but at a high enough angle that she would be able to make eye contact with whoever was speaking to her. She fought the urge to grin.

 _They don't know these things don't work yet. Plus these restraints... I reckon I could probably break them, even without buffs, so I can get off the table whenever I want. Well, I'll keep the surprise alive, for now. Let's see what else is happening._ Now taking extra care to keep her chakra flow as steady and minimal as possible, in case Hinata or any other sensors were watching her, Sakura's senses flew out further, past the confines of her body and to the room she was in.

With her Clairvoyance, she could see that she was in a small cell, with rustic stone walls, and two doors, one on either side of her, both with tinted windows not allowing her to see past them into the rooms beyond. She could tell from the room's design that this must be a singular cell in a much larger complex, but she couldn't use her sensory abilities to confirm that without letting anyone watching know that she was awake, and that she could use her chakra. Seeing the room around her was about all she could manage with this self-restricted flow.

Inside the room, she could see a single man, waiting for her to wake up. He had spiky brown hair, was wearing a yellow jumpsuit, and had one of those rebeathers that most of the Ame nin seemed to wear.. He seemed relatively young, too - maybe only a couple of years older than her, although for a shinobi, that may as well have been an eternity. She noticed that her sword and her backpack weren't in the room with her, but whoever had restrained her had let her keep her scarf, and her headband also sat on a side table, near the interrogator, along with some tools.

 _Hmm, the only thing really valuable that's not here is the katana. Chichiatsu's mission scroll as well I guess, but nothing about that mission was really sensitive anyway, so it's no big deal if I lose it._ Deciding she'd gotten all she could while still feigning sleep, Sakura's eyes snapped open, the speed of which and the intensitiy of her glare seeming to startly the shinobi here to interrogate her.

**The Luckiest Thing In The World Is An Easy Win  
LV 30  
** **Oboro**

_Weakling,_ she thought, looking at him, before grinning. "Hey there, Oboro! Seems to have been a little mistake here, for some reason some idiot's decided to tie me up. I'm sure you were coming to let me go though, weren't you? Could you do it quick? Starting to chafe a bit."

Oboro took a step back, now extremely unsettled. "How do you know my-"

"Sorry, but we're out of time! Let me out now, please." Sakura chirped, smiling at him sweetly.

The man tried to regain his composure, going back to the line he had rehearsed earlier with the head interrogator. "S-Silence! You are-"

He was interrupted by a full on peal of laughter, Sakura having started to crack up as soon as he began talking. "Hahahahaha! Oh man, really? _Really?_ You're trying to intimidate me like that? Oh god, that was fucking pathetic! _Please_ tell me this is your first time or something, and if it is, mind leaving? I'd rather not waste my time with the fucking runt of the litter, okay? If you're gonna try and break me, bring out the big guns. A worm like you is just going to end up getting squished."

Oboro once again tried to regain his composure, and with it, control of the situation, but nothing he had trained for or experienced was enough to tell him what to do in this situation. This girl was bound to a table, completely unarmed, with her chakra sealed off, and yet she gave off an aura so intimidating that Oboro found it hard to even speak, let alone properly interrogate. It was a far cry from the easy mark that he had assumed she'd be when he'd seen her unconscious, especially when Hinata-sama had told him she'd defeated her in a single attack.

"Oi. You just gonna sit there staring, or are you gonna go get someone actually qualified to handle me? 'Cause I'm telling you now, the way this is going, neither of us is gonna be getting anywhere. You hear me this time?" He knew she was right. It was galling to agree with her - a captured, bound enemy nin. His eyes drifted over to the side table- "Don't even think about it." He almost jumped in surprise, eyes flicking back to the captured woman, before his heart sank.

The jovial dismissiveness she'd had before was gone. Instead, all he could see was a blank expression, and deep jade eyes that promised him nothing but pain in his future. "I will get out of these restraints, whether you like it or not, so I'll give you this one warning." He tried to swallow, but found his throat drier than the deserts of the Land of Wind. " Leave, and you'll never see me again. But if you even _think_ of touching me with any of those tools, I'll find you, and make you wish you'd never been fucking born." Oboro almost whimpered under her gaze, feeling as if he were a bug being crushed under her heel.

"Get lost, trash."

* * *

Aoi strode into the room, eager to see what the seemingly weak woman who had reduced Oboro into a sobbing mess in under five minutes, while being restrained even. While Oboro might''ve been pretty weak, he was a solid chunin fighter, so to have the kind of prescence to break him while not even having access to chakra and therefore killing intent... Well, it certainly wasn't common. And this girl was apparently classmates with Hinata-san when they were younger? "Konoha must've made some real changes to the teaching material after I left, huh... One ice queen is something, but two of that caliber?" He muttered under his breath, before stopping and making eye contact with Sakura for the first time.

"Hey there!" She called out cheerily. "Are you the real interrogator this time, or am I gonna have to make you get your dad to come out too?"

**The Only One That Matters Is Me  
LV 36  
Rokusho Aoi**

_He's a weakling too. Barely even above chunin. Maybe he isn't the head interrogator…_ She gave the green-haired man another once over, taking in the umbrella strapped to his back, as well as the strange looking weapon he carried that looked at least a little like the hilt of a sword. Her eyes flicked up to his face, taking in his expression, and the way he was staring at her, and then she looked at his body language, thinking about the way he had strode in, and his seeming impatience now, what with his crossed arms and tapping feet.

 _No, he is. He's a weakling, but he's got some misplaced sense of self-importance. That's obvious, just from the title. Either he's got good connections, or he thinks he's stronger than he is. Maybe both. The question is then…_ She glanced up at his face again, still waiting for him to respond, again fighting the urge to grin. _Would it be more fun to build him up… or to break him down?_

Aoi remained silent for a good minute, before strolling over to the side table, and picking up Sakura's headband, facing away from her while he stared at the symbol on it. "You know, I used to be a Konoha shinobi myself. You've probably heard of me. After all, not just anyone can steal the Sword of the Thunder God."

"Never heard of you. What's the Sword of the Thunder God?" Sakura chirped back, the nonchalant answer seeming to get under the man's skin a little.

"Ah, you're young, I forget. They must've stripped it from the Academy curriculum after I took it. They don't want to come off as weak, after all."

"I don't think you're as important as you think you are, dude. I mean, I could probably beat you with my hands tied behind my back. I can prove it, even. Just undo my binds and-"

"Nice try." Aoi scoffed, before turning back around to face her, the tattered headband still clutched tightly in his hand.

Sakura's mouth slipped open into a toothy smile, eyes drooping till they were half-lidded, giving her a lazy, almost dopey-looking expression. "It was worth a shot." She leaned back as far as she could on the table, closing her eyes and looking up at the ceiling. "So, what's your deal? I assume you're actually at least somewhat important, unlike that imp that was in here before."

"Imp, huh?" Aoi chuckled. "You're pretty self-righteous, you know that? Even if your description isn't exactly inaccurate." He stepped closer to her, so that there was only a couple of metres separating them. His expression turned sour, lips upturning in a cruel sneer. "I've never seen or heard of you before in the Bingo Book, so I'm sure you don't know much, if anything… But I'm going to wring out everything you _do_ know, and then throw you to the wolves, understand? I've got a busy schedule, so the faster we wrap this up, the better."

"Oh, that so?" Sakura muttered, cracking one eye open. "Well, if you're so busy, then we really should make this quick. You wouldn't happen to know where Hinata is, would you?"

Aoi frowned at the question, confused. "Even if I did know, why would I tell you? What makes you even think you're in a position to ask questions?"

"The fact that I want to know. Where is she?" Sakura asked again, rather matter-of-factly.

Aoi's frown turned into a deep scowl, infuriated by this girl's insolence. The way she was acting told him very quickly why Oboro wasn't capable of handling her. Quick as a flash, he pulled out the strange hilt he carried, the device sparking to life as a crackling yellow blade of energy appeared from it. "Learn your place, whelp! I'm the one asking questions here!" He snarled, lunging forward with the Sword of the Thunder God.

In that instant, Sakura flexed her chakra for the first time since she had woken up in the cell. She only released the tight grip she had kept on it for an instant, and even for that small moment, she only used it for two purposes, first allowing her senses to spread out into the neighbouring rooms to see if there was anyone unseen monitoring her. After quickly confirming there wasn't, she concentrated the little amount of chakra she had let loose into her foot, twitching it as violently as she could towards Aoi without outright shattering her restraints.

The resultant Shockwave almost blew Aoi off his feet, sending him skidding backwards, though not actually causing him any damage. The shocked jonin looked around the room, searching frantically for what could have caused that gust of wind, before his eyes finally came back to Sakura, the grin on her face only growing as she saw, almost _tasted_ , the disbelief coming over the Amegakure nin. "How did you-"

"Mm nm, Aoi-kun. I'm the one asking questions here." His shock only grew as he heard her say his name, but before he could respond and retake control, she interrupted him again. "You said you didn't know where Hinata-chan was, but I'm not sure if I believe you." Sakura purred, flexing her legs and pulling apart the chains restricting them. "Maybe you don't, but you seem like a smart man. You said you were Konoha once too, right? It only makes sense you'd keep track of others like you." She muttered, smiling softly, as she flexed her arms to remove the binds on them, while reaching up with her still cuffed hands and pulling apart the restraint holding down her chest.

"So, let me ask you again, Aoi-kun." She said, pulling her neck up and through the final restraint holding her down, aside from the chakra cuffs she still had binding her hands together. She glanced at the man in question, he looking as if he had seen a ghost, the Sword of the Thunder God and the old, tattered hitai-ate he had been holding both having clattered to the ground by now in abject terror of the freak of nature who had just _flexed out of_ restraints designed to hold jonin _while still having her chakra sealed off._

She slid off of the table, landing gracefully on her feet, before slowly walking up to the jonin with the majesty and predatory nature of a mountain lion, the man wanting to back up and run but realising too late that there was nowhere to go.

"Where is Hinata-chan? I would very much like to see her." Sakura asked, smiling sweetly.

* * *

Sakura hadn't been able to take quite as much time as she normally would've liked with him, out of… not _fear,_ really, but more just… the general _idea_ of someone coming to the cell in the middle of her fun and ruining it, but that wasn't too much of a problem. He didn't actually know where Hinata was, after all, which was the only thing she really cared about. "I-I swear. If I did, I would've said by now. Please, just-"

The palm of Sakura's hand detonated, instantly engulfing and destroying Aoi's face and head from where she held him, killing the traitor instantly. She dropped him to the ground, his name already fading from her mind, as she really let her chakra out, searching the complex as quickly as she could for her target.

**A skill has been created through a special action! Through the use of localised detonations, the skill 'Little Flower' has been created!**

Sakura searched through the building as fast as she could, only realising midway through that she had entirely forgotten to ask Aoi where her sword and backpack were being kept. Still, she considered those tertiary goals to her primary and secondary ones of finding - _killing -_ Hinata and then getting out of Rain, but she'd keep an eye out.

 _Got her._ She thought, having finally pinpointed Hinata. Though she was in the building, the complex was large and complicated enough that even though Sakura now knew exactly where she was and could keep an eye on her movements, it would probably take quite a while just to get to her. Briefly, she considered simply abandoning subtlety and blasting her way through the walls to get to her, but decided against it. She did still need to escape somehow after getting to Hinata, so stealth was the better option. Besides, she didn't want Hinata to know she was coming before she was there anyway.

Now knowing her destination and her plan of action, Sakura looked at the ground, where the cooling headless corpse of that nobody she killed that she couldn't remember the face of lay. She ignored the weird sword he had tried to use, instead picking up her forehead protector, trying it around her forehead as best she could with her still bound hands, and slipped out of the room, using both natural darkness and illusions to keep herself hidden as she slowly made her way to Hinata.

* * *

"The one that Hinata captured has escaped, it seems."

"Is that so? Perhaps we should've taken her warning more seriously, then. It's no matter. Even if she manages to escape into the village, the moment she steps into the rain I will be able to track her every move. If necessary, I will take care of her myself."

"Of course."

* * *

Hinata turned her head slightly, shooting a glare into the dark corner of the room she had just entered. Even without her Byakugan, it was easy to sense a presence like that. Sakura whistled as soon as she did, stepping out of the shadows with a grin, shackled arms still held out in front of her. "You've gotten better, Hinata."

"You've gotten careless." The other woman replied curtly.

"Hmm... Not really. How do I put it? It's more like..." Sakura stretched, raising her arms above her head and pulling them apart, easily shattering the chain keeping her hands held together, though the cuffs still remained. A dark look entered her eyes as her face split open in a toothy, predatory grin. "I don't bother to care about caution when I'm surrounded by weaklings."

"Is that how you've always thought of me? A weakling?"

"Whatever answer you want to hear is what I'll say in response to that." Sakura's arms fell to her sides, briefly raising one hand to scratch at her cheek. "Nice coat." The black with red clouds on it was rather nice - she hadn't realised when she had first seen it on Hinata, but it was the same one that those two men who had been fighting that Cloud girl in her territory had been wearing. She'd known that she'd seen it somewhere before. She wondered if there was any connection between them.

"Thanks. My God gave it to me." Hinata replied, having completely turned away from Sakura at this point, seemingly entirely uninterested in their conversation.

"Your god?"

"Mm."

"...Ah, I get it. Now that Naruto's off the table, you just latched on to the first person you could when you got here, huh?"

At that, Hinata whirled around, expression marred by fury and eyes filled with hatred. "You don't know anything about what I went through that day and since, scum! This is all your fault to begin with!" She yelled, pointing an accusatory finger at Sakura.

"How do you figure that?" Sakura barked back confusedly. "I was halfway across the fucking continent, how the hell was anything that happened that day my fault?"

"You weren't there!" Hinata screamed, taking a step towards her. "You were his teammate, but when he needed you the most, you weren't fucking there! Instead, you were off gallivanting with some fucking backwater daimyo no one's ever heard of, who probably just wanted you for a cheap fuck anyway! How dare you betray Naruto like that, and how dare you accuse me of just hopping on to the next person after he died!"

Sakura laughed. "I suppose you've got a point, even if your argument is fucking retarded. That aside though..." The air turned to ice, Sakura's expression also turning to one of anger. "I think you're running your mouth a bit too much, peon. I bet I already know the answer, but I've just got one question for you." The two women stared at each other, misplaced hate boiling in the eyes of one, while the other looked as if she had come across a piece of filth in the street that had rubbed her the wrong way.

"I'm going back. Will you come with me?"

Hinata sneered. "With you? Even if you lied to me and told me Naruto was alive, I'd die before I went anywhere you wanted to take me, vermin."

Sakura laughed once again. "Well, at least one good thing happened because of all of this." She said, chuckling, eyes flashing. "At least now you've grown a spine!" She screeched, Lunging at Hinata, the other girl instantly throwing a smoke bomb at the ground and jumping back in retreat.

"Smoke won't help you!" Sakura cried, voice breaking and going higher as she let go of her fragile grip over her emotions, screaming with unhinged abandon while even still her mind worked calm as ever, closing her eyes and using her Sensing and Clairvoyance to find Hinata. She Lunged at her again, sending Suzaku's Beak right into her gut, but she felt the woman's flesh turn to wood as she made contact. Cursing at the substitution, she quickly searched the complex for her target, all traces of subtlety gone as she blasted her way through the building to get to the person she currently wanted to kill above all else.

* * *

Shinobi appeared from almost nowhere as she started literally tearing through walls and floors, most of them not saying a word as they prepared to engage. Some wore rebreathers, some wore masks, some fired jutsu at her, while some flew in with their fists and gleaming, outstretched blades. They all had one thing in common, though.

_They were all so weak._

**Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level has increased by one! Your level-**

Sakura cackled like the madwoman she was, levels and blood flowing in equal measure as ninja stepped up to replace each other almost as fast as she killed them. A few smart ones began to see the writing on the wall after a few moments, but it was far too late for them to run, Sakura's bloodlust and pleasure having reached a fever pitch as her eyes burned orange and she tore apart anyone who even stepped into her sight. Even through the almost ecstatic state she was in however, she never lost sight of her goal, the core of calm the Gamer's Mind provided her proving invaluable yet again, as she slowly but surely made her way to where Hinata was running.

* * *

"She's tearing up the Torture and Interrogation department. She's apparently gone mad. She's killing everyone who she sees, shinobi, civilians and prisoners alike."

The man glanced over at the woman giving the report, his piercing gaze almost looking through her, if not for the intense look she matched his own with. "All those stationed there aren't particularly strong, so it's not too surprising. Send in Hazamada's squad. They should be able to handle it with Hinata's assistance."

"Yes." The woman paused, before continuing. "There is another report."

"Go on."

"She had green eyes and pink hair when brought in by Hinata, but apparently now in the heat of battle, her eyes appear to be glowing orange. In addition, every now and then, both her eyes and hair will flash to a bloody colour, before returning to pink and orange. I think that-"

"The one that Kakuzu described. The girl with iridescent vermillion eyes, who, impossibly, seemed even more immortal than Hidan, and who managed to defeat him, alone, before Kakuzu took almost any damage at all from a perfect jinchuuriki. The one who's chakra blazed red when she fought."

The two were silent for a moment, before the woman spoke again. "Do you think that perhaps Kakuzu's suggestion was true?"

"When he first mentioned it, no. But now… now that we know her origins from Hinata… The age fits. And the abilities of that one aren't particularly well known, either. Considering that Itachi betrayed us, his information may have been inaccurate from the start besides. And not even _he_ is completely infallible."

"So then…"

"The idea has merit. Change of plans." The man said, sitting up straight in his strange chair, his multi-ringed eyes flashing in the dark.

"I will show her true pain."

* * *

Oboro cowered in fear from the spectre of death that was slowly apporaching him. She'd already killed his teammates, and probably his sensei as well, considering he'd been in the room when she escaped. And now he was next… Didn't she say she would leave him alone if he left her alone!? He tried as best he could to scramble away from her, even as his friends and allies were trying to fight. Those that noticed him running sneered, some even tried to attack him, but he managed to avoid them and keep going. They didn't understand, none of them did. She'd been terrifying when she had her chakra locked away, when she'd been sealed up tighter than a miser's wallet, and now? Covered in blood, hemorrhaging chakra and killing intent like it was no one's business?

He knew that the only way that he'd survive was to run and hide, to hope that she wouldn't remember he existed. In the back of his mind, he wasn't even sure if that would work, but the primal fear that kept him moving quashed those doubts, forcing his body to do what it could to try and survive.

Suddenly, the sounds of battle became far quieter. There were no more of his allies in his way, and he didn't hear them behind him either. Against his better judgement, despite all of his instincts screaming at him to keep moving, Oboro stopped, turning around slowly to look at what he'd left behind.

He saw a vision of pure carnage. Dismembered bodies and scattered organs littered the corridor, which itself had received a fresh new coat of blood. The stone walls themselves were incredibly distorted, some warping and buckling under this… _thing'_ s raw power and the impossible heat of her fire jutsu, while other parts had been directly molded and morphed by earth techniques. And as for the woman herself… Her eyes glowed with a maddening orange aura, that seemed to suck up as much light as it emitted, making it seem like the only thing illuminating the corridor. The vermillion shades they gave off changed with every moment, and behind them, all Oboro could see was the gaze of a predator.

She stalked up to him, blood staining her hair and clothes, flames freely rolling down the blade she had stolen off of one of the shinobi she had killed, her hitai-ate having burnt off in all of the combat, and yet… the pink scarf she wore remained completely pristine, untouched by even a speck of gore. She smiled at him, but the friendliness didn't reach her eyes - it didn't even come close to that, and yet even still, something about it disarmed him, made him think that if he just went along with whatever she wanted, she might let him live-

"Hey there, little imp. You wouldn't happen to know where Hinata-chan went, would you?" Her words snapped him out of his reverie, the reality of the situation hitting him once again. He tried to speak, but his mouth was so dry that he couldn't muster up the words the first time, having to clear his throat before he could respond properly.

"Hinata-sama? I, ah. I'm not sure. I was too focused on… running."

He watched as she turned her head to the side in a slight tilt, something that in any other situation he might've called cute. He watched her form a small pout, and almost wanted to reach out, to comfort her and tell her that she would help find- "Oh, really? That's a shame." Oboro's vision seemed to… split in two? He wasn't sure how that was possible, but his eyes were definitely further apart than… Oh. He was dying. It wasn't as painful or as scary as he'd thought it'd be… If anything, now that it was happening, the only thing he could think of… was that he wished he'd been able to help her more.

The two halves of the imp fell to the ground with a crash, Sakura watching with a smile, before setting her sights onto the nearest window. "No one seems to want to play any more… Well, that's fine. As long as I get Hinata-chan…" She almost sang to herself, scanning the entirety of Amegakure as she did for her target. "You can't hide from me~!" She exclaimed as she found a lock, disappearing from the corridor and blazing upwards through the building she was in at top speed towards Hinata.

* * *

What in the actual _**fuck**_ was happening?

Sakura - Team 7 as a whole, really - had always been weirdly strong, ever since they graduated, and especially by the time that… _it_ happened, but Hinata knew that both Naruto-kun and Sasuke had trained immensely to get as strong as they had been that day for more than a month straight, a month that Sakura hadn't even been in the village for - hadn't _seen a fucking shinobi for,_ not to mention the _three years_ following! But not only was she far stronger than they had been in the fight against Kimimaro and Gaara - not only was she very clearly stronger than Hinata herself was, despite all her training - but she was strong enough to wipe out almost the entirety of T&I alone? _Unarmed?_

Having seen her during the rampage with her Byakugan, Hinata was now keenly aware she had bitten off far more than she could chew. Sakura was, almost without a shadow of a doubt, the person that Kakuzu had told them about, when she had formally joined the Akatsuki and when he had reported the failure to capture the Nibi and Hidan's assumed death. Sakura, _somehow_ , managed to kill an immortal man, and according to Kakuzu, did it easily. He didn't even understand how she'd done it, and he was there when it happened. And it all left Hinata questioning something.

_Where had she gotten all this power from?_

It couldn't be her. That just wasn't possible. If she'd had talent like this, all this time, someone would've noticed, surely? Something must've happened to her in Swamp that had changed her. Or maybe… Kakuzu was right. She'd never met Itachi, so had no attachment to what he had said in the past, and besides, he was a traitor anyways. His information might've been inaccurate from the start. So then, considering that… Then, for all this time, Sakura had been…

She'd been hiding the Kyuubi from them all this time?

She must've been. Nothing else made sense. Where else could she have gotten this strength from? The Nine Tails had the power to burn the world to ash by itself, so it would only make sense that its holder would be at least this strong. And… And it would also explain what she had noticed. Back when they were kids - her strange chakra system, that was unlike anything she had ever seen before. It all fit.

She clenched her fists, trying to steady her uneven breaths. Now that she knew, she had even more reason to escape, and to survive. Pain-sama - no, he was Nagato-sama npw - must know about this, he _needed_ to - they needed Sakura for his dream to come true! She had to tell him. She needed to go, before that _demon_ found her again. She wouldn't be able to fight it - what could the Gentle Fist do to a creature like that? She needed to-

The ground below her burst open, sending her flying backwards. Through the smoke and debris, she saw Sakura flip up and through the hole in the floor, landing on all fours like some kind of animal, chakra and killing intent flowing off her like water to match the bloodlust in her eyes. "HIIIIIIIII _NAAAAAAA_ _ **TAAAAAAAAAAA!**_ " She roared, the sheer force of her voice shattering the windows of the stone room the two of them found themselves in. The former Hyuuga heiress didn't even think, throwing herself out of one of said windows without a second thought, the beast in human clothing following him instantly, out into the open rain.

* * *

Six pairs of eyes snapped open.

* * *

Sakura screeched, throwing the still burning stolen sword she had picked up earlier at her nemesis of the day. Hinata barely managed to twist out of the way, activating her Byakugan as her rapidly dampening hair began to get in the way of her normal vision. She grabbed onto one of the many outstretched pipes lining the architecture of the village, sliding down it while Sakura chased in freefall, her violent exit combined with the structural damage she had already dealt finally being enough to cause the building to begin to collapse.

The two of them landed on a flat, open piece of ground, the building still falling behind them. Despite the fact that they had barely even begun to fight, Hinata was panting, sweat and rain rolling down her face in equal measure, feeling as if she'd just completed an A-rank mission, while Sakura looked fresh as ever, the only emotion visible on her face being a mad desire.

The pink haired woman Lunged forwards at incredible speeds without warning, but came to a halt as a black rod speared down from the heavens, blocking the space between the two of them. She looked up, wondering what or who the current interruption was, and so saw the bald man with rods sticking out from his head falling down on her from the sky. She leaped backwards and out of the way, but her eyes widened in surprise as she realised he'd expected that, the man already charging forward with an outstretched fist, with what seemed like metal peeking out from under his coat sleeve.

Sakura managed to slip the man's punch, still being faster than him, rocking him as she did so with a heavy full-body counterpunch that should've knocked any normal person's head clean off their body, if not popping it like a bloody balloon. However, the man took it like a champ, skidding backwards before spitting out blood and grinning at her as if she'd barely hurt him.

Sakura straightened, looking around her. Six more had appeared during that brief exchange, five of them having piercings all over their faces along with shockingly orange hair, while one floated above the battlefield with wings of what seemed like paper, her powder blue hair coming as a significant contrast to the others. All of them wore the coat that Hinata had on.

Sakura's eyes fixed onto one of them in particular. He wasn't the biggest, nor the smallest, but he had a sort of… imposing aura that the others surrounding her lacked. He was clearly the leader, but as she gave them all a second glance, she realised they must be related in some way, as all of them shared the same hair colour and weird, ringed eyes. Locking eyes with the leader once again, she decided to finally take a real look at what she was in for.

**?  
LV ?  
Uzumaki Nagato**

"Oh, _fuck_." She chuckled to herself, her mania disappearing like the wind as she suddenly realised that she was in some deep shit. Her mind's gears began to turn frantically as she tried to think of a way out of this one, but nothing was coming to mind right now. Absently, she realised that Hanzo was probably long dead, and that _this_ was the guy that killed him. She placed her hands in her pockets, smiling widely at the gathered crowd. "So! There seems to have been a bit of a misunderstanding here, and I'm not really one to bother other people, so I'll get out of your hair. It looks like a few of you spend a lot of time on it, after all. I'll just kill who I came here to kill, and then I'll be on my way. That cool?"

The one she'd identified as the leader raised his hand, pointing a single palm her way. She sighed, looking down at her feet as she bounced on her heels. "Yeah, didn't think so." She Lunged forwards as everything exploded into action.

* * *

Fighting against eight people at once was hard, surprisingly. Considering she'd literally just got done killing a whole building of shinobi, Sakura thought she'd have an easier time with this, but she supposed they didn't really count. They'd all been weaklings, but everyone she was fighting now was strong. Six in particular were ridiculously so. From what she could tell, the only reason she was alive still was because they didn't actually seem to be trying to kill her. Well, that and the Gamer's Body, obviously, but they didn't know about that. It seemed that they wanted her for something.

Not like knowing that mattered, though. Because, as she said before, fighting eight people was hard, and it was made even harder when seven out of those eight basically ignored genjutsu and illusions thanks to their weird eyes, and so could tell the last one when she was being fooled by one. It was really annoying, actually - using illusions in addition to fighting physically had been her style when she was _really_ fighting back since the days she'd first became a Gamer, and it was actually supremely irritating that her fallback strategy she used when all else failed simply _didn't work._

But whatever. That plan fell apart before it could even really come together, so it's not like it was a big loss, she supposed as she dodged out of the way of the bald one's attack, her Restraints long since released, leaping on top of the multi-headed dog with the same ringed eyes that one of the orange ones had summoned, and blowing off one of said heads before being blasted off herself by an invisible wave of force the leader sent her way.

She landed on her side, quickly rolling backwards and onto her feet, backpedalling to avoid attacks from two of the other orange guys using those black rods, specifically from the one that had hair longer than her and the fat one. She cartwheeled away from a stray attack from Hinata, and thrust her hand into the air, unleashing a gout of flame that burnt away the paper shuriken the blue woman sent at her, forcing her to dodge.

_I've got a pretty good grasp on Hinata's abilities. It's pretty much just what she could do before, just… more, I suppose. And while I'm not sure I've seen everything Blue can do, as long as she's using paper I can counter her pretty hard. Besides, she's the only one my illusions work on - she'd probably be the easiest to fight one-on-one, if you ignore the level disparity between Hinata and everyone else. As for Orange…_

_Leader uses some invisible force attacks. Looks like he can push and pull. He always stays back. Not sure what the fat one does. Ponytail summons. Not sure what long hair does either, while baldy's super strong and tough. Those four are the main ones attacking physically. And then the old guy, behind the leader. He's not done anything yet... Maybe he's actually the leader? At least, he's probably important. If I can somehow get to him…_

Sakura's eyes flicked around at the gathered enemies, trying to figure out a way to break through and attack the one hanging back. _Actually, that's stupid. If I'm in a position to attack him, I'm in a position to run, and at this rate I've got to take what I can get. I should just remember that in case I ever fight these guys again._ She blocked a heavy punch from the baldy that still made her brain rattle in her skull, retaliating by spitting out a fireball that he headbutted away, leaving the spikes on his head facing her. Sakura's eyes widened as they lit up, before yellow lasers flashed from them, piercing through her arms and torso.

As she remained suspended in the air, Sakura quickly realised the assault wasn't over yet. Without even a second more to breathe, she was rapidly pulled towards the leader by a force she couldn't resist, and so could only watch as a black rod sprouted from the sleeve of his free hand and he thrust it into her liver as she reached him. The sudden, but brief, as always, shock of pain plus the unexpected sensation of cold and numbness caught her off guard, causing her to gasp uncharacteristically, perhaps making her attackers think she was finally done.

 _It'd only make sense. A hit like that would be critical, maybe even lethal on anyone but me. As it is, that's done a lot of damage to me anyway, since he's hit a vital area. The damage from a critical hit is nothing to joke about. He definitely intends for this to be the end of the fight… Is this my chance?_ Blood leaking from her mouth, Sakura grinned at Orange - Nagato was his name, she thought - through gritted teeth that had begun to stain red. "Uzumaki Nagato, right? Any relation to Naruto?"

Nagato's eyes widened, along with those of Blue and Hinata. "How did you know that?" Hinata hadn't even known that Nagato had been an Uzumaki, and she was, as far as she knew, one of three people outside of Nagato himself that knew him as anything but Pain. How had Sakura gotten that information?

No, wait. The more Hinata thought about it, the less sense this made. If she had known Nagato's name, she surely would've also known what he looked like, yet when the Six Paths appeared, Sakura didn't seem to react at all, as if she didn't know who they were. And she'd been fighting them as if she had no idea what their abilities were either, which was something even Hinata knew in detail. The only way this made sense would be if someone had told her that Nagato had the Rinnegan, but if that were the case, why had she only attempted to communicate with the Deva Path, the body that Nagato normally interacted with people as Pain through, and assume that that one specifically was Nagato, when any of the paths could've been?

There were so many ridiculous assumptions that Sakura would've had to have made to ask that question and believe that she was talking to the right person from what she knew - and assuming that she had the information from the start made even less sense, considering her prior actions, and also just the question of _who_ or _where_ she possibly could've gotten the information from. The train of thought sent Hinata's mind reeling even more than the revelation of Nagato's full name, and a glance at him and Konan-san made it obvious that it had thrown them for a loop as well.

Sakura took advantage of their momentary malaise, wrenching her body off of the black rod, sensation coming back to the area it had pierced as she did so, and placing a hand swimming in green healing chakra to the wound, both to restore her middling HP and to hide the instant restoration her body underwent after an injury. The Deva Path flexed his fingers, Nagato and the other two Akatsuki members refocusing on the enemy in front of them.

"None to my knowledge." Nagato finally answered, through the Deva Path.

"Oh shit, you _can_ talk! Was worried you were totally mute for a while." Sakura said, straightening and seemingly relaxing on the outside, vermillion eyes gleaming. "Oh, and as for how I know your name? Trade secret, that." She finished with a smirk, milking this lull for what it was worth, and taking the chance to Observe the others fighting.

**?  
LV ?  
Uzumaki Nagato**

**?  
LV ?  
Uzumaki Nagato**

**?  
LV ?  
Uzumaki Nagato**

**?  
LV ?  
Uzumaki Nagato**

**?  
LV ?  
Uzumaki Nagato**

**God's Angel**  
LV 84  
Konan

_Hmm. I can't see if their levels and titles are different, but all of the Oranges share a name, plus those eyes, which I can probably assume by now is a dojutsu. Question is, are they all different people that just share a name for whatever reason? Some sort of advanced clone? Or are they like, puppets controlled by someone else? ...I guess the distinction between those two things barely matter._

Instead of waiting to see if he'd respond to that, Sakura pressed on, wanting to learn more about this weird phenomenon, or technique, or… whatever it was. "So, am I gonna get to meet the real you at some point, or am I just going to keep playing with your toys?"

Sakura felt the temperature change instantly as all of them raised their hackles in response to that question. _Alright, so I was definitely close enough. Either clones or puppets, but don't really care which._ "How do you know all of this!?" Nagato shouted, truly shocked.

Sakura dipped her head, grinning mischievously. "I just said, didn't I? Trade secret."

Konan and Hinata had apparently heard enough, as both of them came careening towards her, fully intent on shutting her up, one way or another. However, just like Konan and Nagato's entrance had stopped Sakura earlier and likely saved Hinata's life, so too did a zanbato screaming through the sky and landing in front of them blade first, planting six inches into the ground stopped them. Sakura's grin became rapturous, recognising the blade instantly, and she threw her gaze up to the sky to see what would come next.

Ami came down in a torrent of water, the waves throwing almost all of the gathered combatants away as she landed, aside from two. Distracted as she was by Ami's entrance, Sakura didn't notice the fat Nagato lunge for her, grabbing her by the shoulders. Instantly, Sakura felt her chakra leaving her body, and reacted quickly, turning on Suzaku, the Vermillion Bird of the South for the first time in the fight.

As her eyes and hair changed to a bloody red, and crimson flames began to sprout around her body that boiled and evapourated the water and rain around her, she threw her hands into the arms of the one holding her, releasing its grip on her as the clearly ineffectual shackles on her hands finally shattered, unable to handle her current strength. She wasn't sure if the crack she heard was from them or from the fat one's arms breaking, but she wasn't going to find out.

Sakura took a half-step back, ensuring Ami wasn't behind the fat one. Her vastly increased speed and reactions meant that Ami was still in the process of landing, and everyone else was still trying to recover from said landing, while the fat one was looking at its arms in confusion, likely having not even realised yet that they were broken. Sakura took the chance while she could, pulling up as much chakra as she could muster in an instant, and unleashing all of it in an absolutely titanic plume of flame the likes of which she had never seen before, the sheer power of it surprising even her.

To his credit, the fat one reacted surprisingly quickly, considering it wasn't even looking at the blast, raising its mangled arms in a futile attempt to block. Indeed, as the conflagration reached it, it seemed to recede, or weaken perhaps, by a decent amount, but this only lasted for an instant before the attack washed over it fully. Sakura's desperate strike faded as quickly as it appeared, leaving behind only scorched earth and the broken arms of the one she had targeted, the rest of its body having been vapourised.

**A skill has been created through a special action! Through an overkill display of sheer firepower, the skill 'Vanity's Hell Burning' has been created!**

Sakura didn't wait for anyone's reaction, immediately turning, picking up both Ami and her sword off the ground, and running as fast in the general direction of the Land of Fire as she could, before the shock of Ami's entrance and her last attack had a chance to wear off. Within seconds, the two of them were already past the border between the two countries, when Sakura's chakra ran out and her body failed her, all of her buffs deactivating at once as she no longer had the energy to maintain them.

She and Ami tumbled to the ground as she tripped over her own feet, exhausted. Ami jumped up, looking around in bewilderment as to where the landscape of Amegakure had gone. She'd prepared an extraction route and everything for her and Sakura, although considering the fact that she had come when she did just because of the ridiculous amount of chakra that she felt coming from the village despite not in any way being a sensor, she doubted it would've seen any use anyway.

"Sakura, how did you..?" She began to ask, before realising that the girl in question was completely asleep. Whatever she had done must've taken all she had left in the tank. Smiling while shrugging, she picked Sakura up, looking around at the terrain. While she wasn't sure where _exactly_ they were, she was pretty sure it was Hi no Kuni. They'd be fine until Sakura woke up, at the very least, and then she'd be able to figure out where to go, if Ami didn't do it herself.

"I guess we're back…"


	41. Return

**A Life of its Own, Act I**

**Larger Than Life**

**Return**

Something was wrong with Sakura.

Ami had had an inkling that there was _something_ about her that was different when they'd first run back into each other, but she hadn't had the time or the inclination to bring it up - not to mention she doubted her own judgement. If her instincts were right and there was something wrong, then she was sure that there'd be a chance to talk and discuss it before it was a problem, right?

But then she'd run headfirst at Hinata, and gotten herself captured.

Even then, the fact that she'd almost escaped singlehandedly almost put her worries to bed. To be frank, while her entrance had helped in distracting Hinata and the other freaks in cloaks attacking her, the speed of Sakura's jutsu immediately afterwards and how quickly she was able to get the two of them out of there told Ami that her assistance was probably unnecessary - if Sakura was capable of _that,_ then she probably would've found some way out by herself. It almost made the temporary Taki-nin think that while Sakura's actions were reckless, she did have a good grasp on her limits, and she wouldn't cause herself any problems she couldn't solve.

It almost did.

But, the next day, once they had entered the Konoha that was still in the process of rebuilding, once it had been confirmed that yes, they were the real Kokuma Ami and Haruno Sakura, once Ami had been able to get the other woman to a bed so that she could rest peacefully… Sakura woke up. And Ami knew then that her instincts had been right all along, she just hadn't wanted to listen to them.

Sakura didn't wake like a normal person. It wasn't gradual, there was no slow shift from deep sleep to wakefulness. There was no grogginess or lasting tiredness, no aching from the amount of exertion in the battle she'd fought. Her eyes simply opened, staring straight ahead at the ceiling above her, and if Ami hadn't been looking at Sakura right at that very moment, she might never have realised that her gut feeling had been right this whole time.

For that brief moment in time, an instant as fleeting as quicksilver, Ami didn't see confusion on Sakura's face about where she was. There wasn't a hint of relief, frustration, sadness, happiness, anything. It wasn't boredom, nor was it ambivalence - it was entirely different. It was the first and only time she had seen anyone display a complete and utter lack of any emotion whatsoever. She hadn't seen such a thing even in the ANBU. Yet, the moment was so fleeting it was almost as if it was imagined. Sakura's eyes flicked over to her, and immediately, her whole body language changed, becoming expressive, larger than life, full of emotion. She instantly began chattering away about something, and Ami couldn't help but smile and step closer, joining in.

Yet even so, a dark shadow of doubt began to linger in the back of her mind.

* * *

Sakura and Ami waited outside the Hokage's office, Ami having been told that the two of them were to report straight there as soon as Sakura regained consciousness. Sakura grinned in excitement. As soon as she was done speaking to whoever had the hat now, she could go find everyone still in the village. Oh, and get a new set of clothes. She hated the boring blue fatigues she was in now, but what she'd been wearing before was covered in blood and burnt to shit, and she didn't have another change of clothes, so… Oh well, that was hardly relevant. She couldn't wait to surprise Rinka and Sasuke, though she supposed they knew she would be coming back around now. Still, not like they knew _exactly_ when she'd be here.

The two women heard a muffled "Enter," through the door. Ami steeled herself, looking all business, while Sakura approached the door carefree, a grin still plastered on her face as she opened it easily and stepped in.

"You sure took your time getting back here, Sakura."

Sakura stopped in her tracks, the grin leaving her face as her mouth instead flopped right open. Behind her, Ami entered the room, having already known about what she'd just seen. "Bullshit. Since when were you such a bigshot?"

**My Future Is My Dominion  
LV 88  
Uchiha Sasuke**

Sasuke smirked at her under the brim of his hat, only wearing it because he knew she was coming. His hair was longer now, though it still had that signature shape and style to it. The Hokage robes looked big on him - they had been designed for fully grown adults after all, and he was still a teenager. Still, it wasn't like that made him look stupid, or less intimidating - he still looked plenty dangerous in Sakura's eyes, even without the glinting red eyes of the Sharingan active.

Beside him, Rinka beamed at Sakura and Ami both, beyond happy to see two of her best friends again after so long apart. "Careful there, Sakura." Sasuke grunted, obviously amused. "Someone overhears you talking to your Hokage like that, they might think you're being treasonous."

Sakura had regained her grin at this point, smiling wider than she had before. She hadn't expected this at all, but it was a pretty nice surprise. "Ah, there's the ego talking again. Rinka, you're meant to be keeping that in check - don't tell me you let it get bigger once he got the hat?"

**The True Nature Of This Wonderful World  
LV 91  
Senju Rinka**

The woman in question sighed, glancing at her boyfriend out of the corner of her eye in disappointment. Her brown hair was still tied in a long ponytail that extended almost down to her ankles, and under the obviously feigned embarrassment she was currently showing, her rosy pink eyes glimmered with joy. Her pink combat vest and green fatigues under them didn't leave much to the imagination, showing that she was clearly a grown woman now - yet, somehow, there was… a classy air to it; she certainly showed off her beauty, but in a far more sophisticated way than the rough, careless form Sakura did. Sakura also noticed the long bo staff strapped to her back, and the black, metal-plated fingerless gloves she wore, wondering how she fought now. "Do you really think I could stop it when this kind of power's fallen into his lap? I might be good, Sakura, but I'm not a miracle worker."

"Oi, seriously. I'm your leader now, you have to treat me with _some_ respect."

"Not likely." Ami, Sakura and Rinka all stated at once, all three as deadpan as they could possibly be. The office went silent for a moment, before the women broke into grins, and Sasuke smirked, tipping the hat off of his head and standing up, Sakura stepping forward as he did so. Their hands met above Sasuke's desk in a firm clasp, the two teammates staring into each other's eyes, both of them silently communicating in a way that only people with the bond they shared could understand.

"It's good to see you."

"Yeah. I missed you."

Rinka's expression softened considerably, able to tell at a glance that while he would never show or admit it, Sakura returning to the village had made Sasuke happier than he'd let himself be in years. She looked past the two, over at Ami, who also had a small smile on her face at the small, meaningful gesture.

The moment passed. Sasuke sat back down on his chair, fingers steepled over his face, all business now. Sakura stepped back, a hand on her hip that twitched as she remembered she didn't have her sword with her, staring at her Hokage with an easy, lazy grin. Ami stepped up beside her, a serious expression on her face, while Rinka's smile cooled, looking over her friends with a steely gaze.

"Let's get back to the matter at hand, shall we? You two need new hitai-ate, and an update to your shinobi files. We'll handle that once we're done here, but first… Ami. What rank are you now?"

"I reached tokubetsu jonin during my time in Taki, Hokage-sama."

"I see." Sasuke paused for a moment, writing something down. "We'll go through your abilities and mission record at a later date and re-evaluate you then, to see whether you're qualified to remain at that rank or are perhaps even due a promotion, but for now, you'll remain a tokubetsu jonin. Did you have a specification?"

"I led the border guard, but otherwise no."

"So general purpose, then. Okay. You're dismissed. Speak to Kanon outside about reissuing your hitai-ate and your files, and take a rest for a few days before you start taking missions again. I'm sure you'll need the time to get readjusted. We'll sort out accommodation for you in the meantime as well, until you can get something of your own in place."

"Sir." Ami nodded, stealing a glance at Sakura before she turned around and walked out of the room, unable to not feel a little bit jealous at the preferential treatment Sakura was clearly getting.

Sakura watched her go, before sighing, knowing exactly what was on her mind. "I get to hear everything you tell her, but she's dismissed before you speak with me? Little harsh, Sasuke."

He didn't rise to the bait, continuing like she hadn't spoken. "Now then… You're special, Sakura. Technically, you're still a genin. You were one when you left on that mission, and there was no reason for you to be promoted while you were gone, so your files have remained stagnant since then. Normally, I'd just promote you to chunin right now with a fast track to jonin, on account of your clear overqualification, but… this presents an interesting opportunity."

Sasuke's hands fell to the surface of the desk, looking Sakura in the eyes directly. "In a couple of weeks, there's going to be a Chunin Exam, held in Iwagakure. The deadline to apply's in three days, and it just so happens that there's a team that needs a third. The two in question're almost definitely going to reach the last stage, if they don't just pass the whole thing, so we were just going to pick the best of the worst so they could have a fair shot at everything…

"But now, you can put me in instead, right?" Sakura asked, reading between the lines.

"Exactly. You'd be perfect for it."

"But what's the point? You already said I'm overqualified."

"That's exactly _why_ you're perfect. I _want_ someone overqualified. I want you to destroy the competition. This will be the first Chunin Exams we're taking part in since the Crush, after all. It's no secret we've been doing nothing on the world stage since then. You dominating the Exams will send a message that we're still around, and that we're playing to win."

Despite herself, Sakura began to get excited. "Okay, I'm getting the idea now. So what do you want me to do, exactly?"

Sasuke smirked. "It's pretty simple, really. The only round of the Exams that is open to the public is the third and final one, so all I want you to do is make sure you and your team make it that far, and then absolutely crush the competition. I want you to win, and win hard. Ideally though, don't draw too much attention to yourself early on, especially in the first phase. You can go a little crazy in the second, but only enough that word spreads that you're a strong contender, nothing more. I want it to be a shock."

He paused, considering. "I'll log it in your mission records as a B-rank, and pay you accordingly." However, Sakura waved him off.

"Don't need the money, I've got a three-year S-rank payment waiting for me in the back, y'know? I'll take the bump up to my record, though." Sakura smirked devilishly, running her hand through her tangled, still dirty hair. "Alright then. Who are the two that I'm gonna be teaming with?"

* * *

Sakura stepped into one of the new training grounds, still wearing the basic Konoha fatigues she had been given. She could see three people waiting for her, who were obviously the jonin and two genin she was temporarily filling the final slot for. Her lips curled into a smile, instinctively running through what the best way to make them do everything she wanted was… But she quashed that instinct. She was home again, she didn't need to do that. For now.

"Yo!" She called out, with a cheery wave. "This is Team 3, right?" She asked, already knowing the answer. The two genin turned, while the jonin looked directly at her, pushing up his sunglasses as he did.

**The Professor's Maelstrom  
LV 16  
Sarutobi Konohamaru**

**A Bird That Once Was Caged Can Now Fly Free  
LV 18  
Hyuuga Kotaro  
**

**The Elite Who Creates Elites  
LV 45  
Ebisu**

_Hmm. The jonin's alright. Good, even - he's only a little weaker than Hinata and Ami. Certainly above chunin-grade, but I don't know about being an 'elite', or anything… Though maybe my standards are a bit skewed. Maybe compared to the average he is elite, so what does that make me? Questions for later._ Her eyes flashed to the genin. Both were young, the Sarutobi kid especially being so. The Hyuuga looked like he could be 13 or 14 - although if not for the eyes and her Observation, she wouldn't have thought him a Hyuuga with that platinum blonde hair - but she wouldn't have been surprised if Sarutobi had still been in the academy. She blinked, as she realised she actually recognised the kid as well.

 _The kids are good. Hyuuga doesn't seem like anything special considering the clan and everything, would expect one to be around this strong by this age. Konohamaru on the other hand…_ Sakura stepped forward, smiling softly at Konohamaru, the other two being forgotten for the moment. She squatted down, so they were at equal height. The boy in question seemed a bit startled by the sudden intensity, but before he could say anything about it, Sakura silenced him by putting a hand on his head, rubbing it tenderly.

Konohamaru noticed she wasn't looking him in the eyes, despite squatting down so it'd be easy for them to maintain eye contact. She was looking above there, at his forehead. "You know… I bet he'd be so happy, if he saw you right now. He loved those goggles, you know? He always used to wear them, before he graduated. Seeing you take care of them and love them like he did would make him feel so proud."

Konohamaru's eyes widened, the slight hostility and uncomfortability he had felt being completely forgotten as Sakura spoke, and he looked at her in wonder. She smiled, finally making eye contact, hand moving from the top of his head to instead touch his scarf, and then the one that she wore. "And we've got matching scarves, too… I bought this the first time he and I hung out, you know? I wasn't friends with him when we were younger, but after we graduated, we got close. And now it's… It's my most prized possession. Just like I guess those goggles are for you." Sakura's eyes began to mist up, the sincere, genuine reminiscing beginning to get to her, before she wiped it away, smiling again.

Konohamaru took his chance. "You… You knew him, kore? Naruto-niichan?"

"Know him?" She smiled at him softly. "I was his and Sasuke's other teammate, three years ago. He used to talk about you a lot. You probably never realised, but you were the first person to ever look up to him and respect him. The fact that he genuinely inspired you inspired him to do the best he could, you know. Thank you for that, Konohamaru-kun."

"So you're… Sakura-neechan? Naruto-niichan's…" He finished by sticking up his pinky, to which Sakura just laughed.

"That's me, but Naruto-kun and I were never like that. We were just friends." She beamed at him, for a moment exactly replicating one of Naruto's smiles of pure joy. "That doesn't mean I can't still be your neechan, though. If you want me to."

The young boy stared at her in wonder for a moment, before nodding vigorously. "Sakura-neechan, can you… tell me stuff about him? Like… what was he like in the Academy?"

"Of course I can." Sakura stated, tenderness and love radiating off of her like she was a mother speaking to her child. "But not right now. I've been rude enough, ignoring your teammate and sensei for this long. When we're all done here, you and I can talk as long as you want, okay?" After another nod, Sakura gave him another smile, before standing up to her full height and regarding Ebisu, demeanor changing into her regular, lazy self. She noticed the Hyuuga giving her an odd look, but ignored it. "Genin Haruno, reporting for duty, sir."

"Of course. You've been informed of the details, I assume?"

"I have."

"Good. We'll run through some teamwork drills in the days before we leave, then. What are your specialties?"

Sakura pouted, putting on a show of thinking. "Honestly, I'm a bit of a generalist. I suppose technically kenjutsu and genjutsu, considering those are the only ones I'd say I've mastered, but it's not like my ninjutsu and taijutsu are far behind. Oh, and iryoninjutsu as well. I could be considered a master medic, too.

"Mastered, you say? And medical ninjutsu specifically?" Ebisu scoffed, pushing up his glasses. "I doubt that. You've only been active for three and a half years."

She smirked. "Try me."

Ebisu regarded her with a cool look, not taking the bait. "We'll go over it in the time we have. We'll see if you're as good as you say. You don't even have a sword with you now, anyway."

"Oh, yeah. Forgot about that. Doesn't really matter, but fair enough."

Ebisu quirked an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sakura smiled glibly. "You'll see."

Kotaro jabbed his elbow into Konohamaru's side, getting his attention and whispering over to him. "Hey, doesn't she seem a little weird to you? Also, if she really was on a team with Hokage-sama, how come she's still a genin? And how come we've never heard of her before? Oi, Konohamaru! Are you listening?" The boy in question was completely out of it, not hearing a word that he had said, all his focus instead being on Sakura. He couldn't believe it - she'd been on Naruto-niichan's team, and now she was on his? That was insane!

"Test me, if you're so unsure." Sakura grinned, placing a hand on her hip. "I'll prove that everything I've said is true."

Ebisu regarded her for a moment, before dipping his head, conceding the point. "Fine. This will make things faster, anyway. Kotaro-kun! Konohamaru-kun!" The two boys jumped, standing to attention. "You two will face Sakura-san here. If she's as accomplished as she makes herself out to be, the two of you should be a good match for her."

"Hai, sensei!" Both of them exclaimed. Konohamaru looked over at Sakura again, but she didn't notice, looking out into the distance and smiling slightly at something he couldn't see.

* * *

Sakura bounced on the balls of her feet, ready to get started. Across from her, the two boys stood ready, rigid in their stances. Sakura could instantly tell while they had a good base, neither of them seemed to particularly favour taijutsu, which was odd considering that one of her opponents was a Hyuuga. She shelved that in the back of her mind, focusing on the battle at hand, making sure to Restrain herself to levels that matched the general physical ability she imagined her current opponents had. Even with the handicap, beating them would be child's play.

Between them, Ebisu watched both sides closely. Once he was sure that everyone was ready, he barked out a shout of "Begin!", jumping back as to not get in the way. His eyes widened as Sakura instantly disappeared, the two boys immediately standing as still as statues as they felt the cold metal of kunai held against both their necks.

"A little tip, boys. The battle doesn't start when someone else says it does. It starts the moment you walk onto the battlefield. We're shinobi. We cheat. Take advantage of that." She chirped from over their shoulders, before affectionately rubbing both of them on their head and sauntering back over to where her illusory counterpart had been standing, Konohamaru's stolen kunai still held tightly in her hand. She pointed at Kotaro once she got back in position. "If you'd had the Byakugan on, you'd have seen through my illusion. You've got those eyes for a reason, so use 'em."

After she settled down into a stance, Konohamaru realised with a start that they were being given another chance. Ready to take advantage, he reached into his weapon pouch, pulling out a brace of shuriken, before throwing them and quickly running through seals. "Shuriken Shadow Clone!" The brace of five shuriken became a wall of fifty, and Sakura briefly considered how best to deal with it, before deciding a show of force would be best. She was trying to prove a point, after all.

She knew with her Restraints, she wouldn't be able to pull off what she was about to attempt, so she enhanced her stats another way, her eyes glowing orange as she activated Vermillion Bird of the South. With her enhanced dexterity, she was able to dive directly into the oncoming wall of weaponry, deflecting every shuriken that came close with the kunai she held, and coming out the other side completely unscathed. Konohamaru gaped in surprise, while Kotaro decided to take Sakura's advice, finally activating his Byakugan, instantly seeing danger.

He shoved Konohamaru to the side while leaping up in the air, dodging a wicked spike of earth that could've impaled them both. He began to flick through seals, but as he did, he saw a huge red cube of energy form behind Sakura, which split itself down into countless smaller ones. He was only halfway through his jutsu when half of the cubes rocketed towards him, becoming beams of energy. He'd never seen a jutsu like this, and was only barely able to dodge it, mostly because Sakura made sure to miss on purpose, as she was only showing off, and not trying to actually hurt either of the boys.

Konohamaru rushed her, but she dodged his flying kick without even looking, swiping at him with the kunai and forcing him to leap back to avoid it. Kotaro landed heavily on the ground, wary of the cubes of energy Sakura had kept in reserve, flicking through handseals as she and Konohamaru engaged in a brief close quarters scuffle. Despite her saying her specialties were genjutsu and kenjutsu combat-wise, Kotaro could already see her taijutsu prowess far outclassed Konohamaru's, and if that weird jutsu was any indication, her ninjutsu was probably better than theirs as well.

He grit his teeth. "I guess she did completely get us with that genjutsu to start with… How is she still a genin?" He muttered to himself, finally finishing his jutsu, a bolt of lightning flying from his fingertips, straight towards Sakura's back. Although she'd seen him going through seals earlier, she hadn't expected an elemental technique, and especially not a Lightning Release one. Again, Sakura thought about dodging, but she realised the chance of it then hitting Konohamaru was unnecessarily high. Instand, she took the attack, the blast burning a hole in the borrowed fatigues she was wearing and coursing through her body.

Konohamaru and Kotaro both stopped at once, having not expected the jutsu to hit, leaving Konohamaru open to a kick to the jaw. "What are you doing?" Sakura asked, annoyed, a hand wreathed in green already on her back. "I told you I know medical jutsu, and in a real fight, you don't stop till you know your enemy can't go on anymore. Take this seriously!" The former Hokage's grandson picked himself off of the ground, spitting out the blood pooling in his mouth from his split cheek.

At some unseen signal, Kotaro charged forward, while Konohamaru started preparing a jutsu. Sakura could see the confusion on the Hyuuga's face as he jabbed at her, recalling the confusion Hinata had had the day they'd discovered the differences her chakra system had from most, and then thinking about the fight she'd barely managed to get herself and Ami away from only the day before. She quashed the urge to run wild and get violent, instead focusing on Kotaro, only barely dodging his attacks so as to not completely discourage him.

It was then that Konohamaru threw two more shuriken. Kotaro retreated as Sakura deflected them again, the woman surprised he hadn't multiplied them like before, until she saw the glint of the wire attached to them. It only took a short look up to see the wires clamped tightly in the boy's mouth for her to understand what was about to happen. Flames shot down the wire like a bullet as Konohamaru unleashed his Ryuuka, Sakura leaping into the air to avoid the Dragon Fire. The boys made to chase, but Sakura decided now was the time to use the Magic Missles that they had forgotten about by now, sending half of what was remaining at each of the boys, who then scrambled to defend.

By the time they had dealt with them, Sakura stood calmly where she had been before Konohamaru's jutsu had been fired, tossing a blue sword made from chakra in her hands. Besides her, two clones stood, one on either side. The one on her left's fists burned, while on her right, the clone twirled a staff of stone it had created from the ground. Sakura looked over to Ebisu, who had been watching in shock. "Do you want to see my kenjutsu, or have I proved my point yet?"

Ebisu pushed up his sunglasses, regaining his composure. "No, I've seen enough. Your comment about 'mastery' still irks me, but you've demonstrated your skill clearly enough. How's your injury?"

"Completely gone." She chirped, turning around to show Ebisu her back. Making eye contact with her clones, she began speaking to them, saying, "Can one of you go grab me some new clothes and equipment? All the regular stuff we'd need. And the other one, go find Ami, tell her what's going on." The two elemental mirrors of the woman nodded, before leaping away into the village.

"You know the Shadow Clone, too?"

"Shadow Clone?" Sakura asked, spinning back around to face the questioning tokubetsu jonin. "Nah, I don't. Those two were elemental clones."

He wrinkled an eyebrow. "Interesting." He chose not to elaborate further, instead clapping his hands together, calling Konohamaru and Kotaro over to them. "Alright. Now that we have a good grasp of each other's skills, let's begin the drills!"

* * *

Kotaro and Konohamaru looked exhausted by the time the drills were done, but Sakura barely felt warmed up. However, she acted like she was ready to stop for the day too, again to avoid discouraging the younger genin. Ebisu adjusted his sunglasses again, something that Sakura was noticing was a habit, as he spoke. "Well done for today, all of you. I had my doubts, but I think you'll be an excellent addition to the team, Sakura. Get some rest, and we'll meet at the same time tomorrow. We've only got a few more days before we leave for the Exams, so I'm going to run you ragged, understand?"

"Hai, sensei!" The boys chorused, Sakura simply acquiescing with a lazy nod. Ebisu nodded himself, before disappearing with a Body Flicker. Konohamaru let out a sigh as he left, before spinning around to face Sakura.

"Neechan, can we-"

She smiled, already knowing what he was going to ask. Idly, she noted that the way things were going, she'd likely have the boy wrapped around her finger by day's end, but for once, the prospect didn't excite her. Konohamaru was talented, and would certainly be useful in the future, but she had only made contact with him how she did out of her genuine gratitude to someone who had held her teammate in such high regard. Any benefits she gained out of it were, for once, entirely secondary. She truly wanted to get to know this boy, to protect him, and to love him like she knew Naruto would have if he still could.

"Of course we can. I'm going to go meet with some of my friends. They knew Naruto too, though not as well as me. You can come meet them, if you'd like?" She looked over at Kotaro, who was awkwardly standing to the side, not wanting to interrupt. "You can come too, if you want to."

The boy looked surprised, before shaking his head. "No, I think that-"

"He'll come, kore!" Konohamaru shouted over the Hyuuga. "Not like you have anything better to do, Kotaro-yaro. Kore." He finished, sticking his tongue out at the older boy.

For what it was worth, Kotaro barely reacted to the jibe. "No, I really can't. Thanks for the offer, though! I'll see you both tomorrow!" He stated, before running off. Sakura watched him go, already trying to figure him out. She only did so for a few seconds, before she noticed Konohamaru expectantly looking up at her. She almost picked him up like he was a child, but she realised that he was closer to a teenager than anything, and doing that would probably embarrass him.

She pinpointed the location of one of her clones, the other one having already dispersed after making some stops. She looked down at Konohamaru, smiling softly. "Okay then, let's get going."

* * *

After meeting up with the clone that had been waiting for her outside of the shared apartment she and Ami had been given - she'd have to thank Sasuke later - Sakura and Konohamaru went over to where the clone said Ami was now, moving to a different apartment complex and knocking on one of the doors on the third floor. After a few minutes of waiting, the door slowly opened, and she saw herself staring at a familiar, tired-looking face.

**Shadow Chancellor  
LV 55  
Nara Shikamaru**

"Oh, it's you. Come on in. Everyone's waiting." Shikamaru drawled, before lazily wandering off, having of course noticed Konohamaru but deciding it was too much effort to bring up. The two followed him, going into the main room where Sakura saw Ami was sat, along with a few others.

**Mother of Wolves  
LV 85  
Namiki Aya**

**Shark's Skin and Dragon's Wings  
LV 64  
Tenten**

**The Beautiful Beast With Wings Clipped Crimson  
LV 10  
Rock Lee**

She didn't recognise Lee or Tenten, but assumed she'd be caught up on who they were soon enough. "Haruno…" Aya muttered as she walked in, causing Sakura to smirk.

"What, you thought it'd be someone else?" She quipped.

She grunted, before noticing who was with her. "Sarutobi-kun? Why are you here? Is Kotaro-kun with you as well?"

"Neechan told me that she was Naruto-niichan's teammate! I wanted to meet their friends, so she let me come along… I should've known that she meant you guys!" Konohamaru shouted boisterously, Sakura quickly realising that he had already met the group at large. Lee and Tenten's eyes widened at Konohamaru's words, both of them reappraising her.

Tenten stood, approaching her. "So you're the third member of Team 7 we've heard so much about… Hi, I'm Tenten. Lee over there and I used to be in the same team. We were in the year above yours. We met all of your class during the Chunin Exams." She extended her hand out. "Nice to meet you."

Sakura looked at the older woman, instantly understanding what she meant. _I see… They must've been all together when_ it _happened. It looks like they didn't come out of it unscathed, either…_ She thought, eyeing the crutches laying besides Lee. "Same here." She said, shaking Tenten's hand. She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

Then again, neither did Tenten's.

"Yosh! Like my youthful former teammate said, I am Rock Lee." The civilian looking man said excitedly from the couch. "I would come over and say hello properly, but... " He gestured in the general direction of his legs.

Sakura laughed it off, sounding like a bell. "I get you. Extenuating circumstances, I understand." She moved past Tenten, and through the living room proper, Konohamaru following after a moment. She sat comfortably besides Ami, thankfully on the opposite side from her armoured arm, which rested on the armrest, while Konohamaru slid in next to her. "Hey." She said, smirking at her girlfriend, who smiled back.

"Hey there." Ami said, fingers curling around Sakura's palm. She was worried, still. But now wasn't the time to speak about it.

"Is Sasuke coming?" Aya asked, looking towards Shikamaru, who was leaning against the doorframe, seemingly unbothered about finding a seat. Tenten settled on the wall next to him, knowing the room was starting to get crowded, and would only get worse from here.

"Of course he is. Now that these two," he jerked his head at Sakura and Ami, "finally decided to show up, that means that all of our class who are confirmed alive still are in the village for the first time in three years. And before you say it, I know." He said, closing his eyes and holding up his hand, Aya's angry protest dying in her throat. "I believe he's alive, but we don't _know_ that yet. I believe Ino, Kiba and Hinata are still alive too. It doesn't change the fact that everyone who is _confirmed_ to be alive is here."

"If it's any consolation, I know that Hinata's alive." Sakura piped up. "Though she's pretty much 100% loyal to Amegakure now, so…"

"How'd you find that out?" Shikamaru asked, intrigued.

"Oh, she captured me yesterday. Escaped, fought her and her boss, then ran out of Rain. Now we're here." Sakura rattled off, matter-of-factly, Ami nodding beside her.

"All of that did actually happen. I was there."

"You were captured in Amegakure and managed to escape? How?" Aya asked incredulously, everyone else in the room aside from Ami and Lee now fully paying attention.

"Well, I-"

"Will file a mission report about it, like we discussed, and then those with clearance can read it at their leisure. Right?" Sasuke said, striding in through the still-open door. Behind him, Rinka also came in, followed by a man in a weasel mask in ANBU gear. Sakura turned to look at him, his Hokage hat and robes gone now, revealing that he was wearing a simple black shirt with the Uchiha crest and dark blue trousers.

"Yeah, whatever you say, _Hokage-sama_. Who's the ANBU guy?"

Said ANBU guy chuckled behind his mask, before reaching up to take it off. "She's as blunt as you said, little brother." The mask came off to reveal a face similar looking to Sasuke's, although his looked older, especially with the definition in his face from those cheekbones.

**?  
LV ?  
Uchiha Itachi**

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sakura-kun."

* * *

The nine of them settled down, everyone slowly getting more comfortable as time went on. An easy dynamic formed, even if there were patches of tension every now and then, and those that existed began to ease as secrets were passed and the drinks began to flow. Sakura didn't shy away from the drinking in any respect, already well aware from her time with Chichiatsu that it was basically impossible for her to get drunk, the Gamer's Body seeing alcohol as a poison and purging it as it entered her body. She theorized if enough of it entered her bloodstream at once for the effects to be considered a status condition then the effects could take hold, but that would either take a medical procedure or insane amounts of drinks to test, so she never had tried it.

She wasn't the only one who stayed sober though, noticing that Shikamaru paced himself, while Itachi and Lee didn't touch a drop, sticking to water and juice respectively. Meanwhile, Sasuke and Aya seemed to be able to hold their liquor, clearly tipsy but not raving drunk, but Ami, Rinka and Tenten were all slurring their words by the time the sun dipped below the horizon, though none of them ever became incoherent. Konohamaru was asleep in the corner, having squirreled away a drink for himself and promptly been knocked out by the unfamiliar feeling of tipsiness.

Sakura watched bemused as Ami drunkenly chatted to Aya, whose face was bright red and looked like she was trying to hold something down. She looked down to her lap, where she was idly stroking Rinka's hair, the older woman having decided that her lap looked like a comfortable place to lay her head. Rinka in turn was stroking Tenten's hair, she sitting down on the floor next to the couch once Shikamaru had gotten bored of her being all touchy-feely with him and had stopped reacting to her being all over him.

Shikamaru himself was embroiled in a light debate with Sasuke and Itachi, the former slightly struggling to keep up considering his inebriated state. Finally, Lee was in the corner, pushing himself up in a handstand. Considering how strong his arms must have been to perform such a feat, Sakura wondered what he had been capable of when he was still able to walk unassisted.

She briefly entertained the idea of trying to fix whatever had happened, but quickly dismissed it. He was very clearly comfortable with his life, meaning the injury was old at this point, which also meant that whatever had happened had already healed. To fix it would essentially require her to destroy his legs again and put them back together the right way herself, which she didn't trust herself to do. She was keenly aware of the fact that despite her skill in healing from her years of training, she had no actual formal education in the subject. That didn't mean anything when healing herself, because the Gamer's Body handled actually keeping her body intact - she just needed to keep her HP above 0.

Healing others, though? Especially with a procedure like that? Probably not. At least, not now.

She'd keep it in mind. The guy was a bit weird, but he was clearly passionate and loyal, not to mention her friends clearly trusted him. It'd be a project she could work on in her free time, maybe.

Sasuke finally seemed to notice that Konohamaru was asleep, abruptly ending his conversation with Shikamaru and his brother - Sakura definitely needed to find out more about how he showed up and why Sasuke was seemingly cool with him, considering that if she recalled things right, and she always did, he was the one who killed their entire clan - and making a single hand seal, eyes bleeding into the red of the Sharingan. Sakura immediately felt the tug of a genjutsu on her psyche, realising at once that it was Sasuke purposefully casting it poorly - the obvious nature of it was to make sure everyone knew there was no harm in it. Trusting him, she let it take hold, as did everyone else.

 _The kid's asleep now, so we can get down to business._ Sasuke's disembodied voice flowed into each of their minds, even as all of them continued to relax and celebrate physically. _I'm using a genjutsu to make sure none of you forget this, since it's important. It'll be seared into your minds. Even if some of you blackout and forget everything else that happened tonight, you'll remember this._

 _Get on with it, dude. What's up?_ Sasuke seemed surprised that Sakura was capable of modifying his genjutsu to the point that she could speak in it as well, but only reacted by smiling, impressed.

_Basically, you and Ami have perfect timing. Aside from the mission I already assigned to you earlier today, there's something else that we need to take care of. We, as in all of us here. Except you, Lee, for obvious reasons, but you deserve to hear it nonetheless. Itachi, go ahead._

Itachi's rumbling voice took over from Sasuke's lighter, younger tones. _Two days ago, on an unrelated mission in the Land of Rice Fields, my squad and I discovered three more of Orochimaru's former bases. From our cursory inspection, these three are noticeably bigger than the others we've found, and one of them specifically even had a shinobi training facility. The other two might as well, though we weren't able to confirm that._

Sasuke took over once again, becoming noticeably more excited. _Oto nin have been a thorn in our side ever since the Crush, but we think that the bases we've found are the core of Otogakure's operations, or at least a major part of them. Once we can send dedicated scout teams to ensure that the bases are bigger than the last few false alarms, we can send teams to eliminate them. That process shouldn't take any longer than a month._

_I want to ask all of you if you want to take part in the extermination. All of you know by now that you're the ones I trust the most, even if some of us aren't the greatest of friends. And we all lost something or someone dear to us in the Crush. This is our chance to pay those bastards back._

Sakura took a brief look around, gauging everyone's reactions. No one seemed to make a big deal of things, at least outwardly, but she noticed Rinka at least stopped playing with Tenten's hair, instead opening her eyes and staring straight ahead. _Obviously, now's not the time to really discuss it seriously, but I wanted all of you to know. That's all._

The genjutsu cut off, and while outwardly nothing was different, it was obvious that the atmosphere had changed. After a couple of minutes in the suddenly quiet apartment, Shikamaru stood, stretching. "Should probably get going." He drawled, lethargically approaching Tenten and lightly tapping her with his foot. "And you aren't in a state to get home by yourself, so come on." The woman responded by sprawling over on the floor away from him, causing Shikamaru to sigh and everyone else to laugh, doing something to rebuild the mood. "Troublesome."

He walked over to Konohamaru, picking the boy up and putting him on his back. "Well, I'll take the kid to Asuma and Kurenai's, at least. They'll know what to do with him… what a drag. You going to come too, Aya? Inoichi-ossan's is on the way."

"No, I think I'll stay a bit longer." She quietly said, causing Shikamaru to nod.

He stepped to the door, turning back and eyeing Tenten. "You better be ready to go by the time I'm back, you troublesome woman." She waved at him, receiving a baleful glare in response before Shikamaru stepped out of the apartment.

Things went back to normal after that, drinks and words beginning to flow like before. But just as Sasuke said, the thought that they may have a chance to take revenge on what had happened to their home so soon burned in the back of each of the Konoha 8's minds.

* * *

**Hope you had a nice New Years.**


	42. Seeds

**A Life of its Own, Act I**

**Larger Than Life**

**Seeds**

Karasugi brushed a hand through his hair as he looked at himself in the mirror, making sure he looked alright. Today was the day, after all - Chunin Exam day. He needed to make sure that he didn't embarrass himself, or Kiri - this would be their first exam with Mei-sama leading the village, and he needed to prove that she was just as good - better, even - than that bastard Yagura ever was.

He adjusted his headband, the bangs of his spiky, electric blue hair falling neatly over it, while he hefted his naginata over his shoulder, giving himself a sharp toothed grin, his golden eyes sparkling in the glass. "Lookin' good." A knock on the door brought him out of his little world, reminding him that the rest of his team were waiting on him outside the bathroom. Shrugging, he turned, violently opening the door. "The fuck do ya want!?"

Yui stared straight back at him, mouth open and eyebrow raised. Karasugi took a second to think about how he'd fucked up before it was made blatantly obvious when his teammate socked him straight in the jaw, sending him sprawling to the ground. "The _fuck_ do _you_ think you're talking to, huh?" Yui almost growled, seeing red. Her long black hair seemed to go everywhere as she stomped over to where Karasugi lay, grabbing him up by his collar and lifting him off the ground.

Karasugi instantly regretted antagonising his giant of a teammate, the younger girl towering over both him and Manabu by a good three or four inches. He flinched as she brought him up to eye-level, her filed, gnashing teeth genuinely reminding him of a shark's. "Have you forgotten who's the leader here, Sugi? Or do I need to beat it into your head for the seventh time, huh?"

"H-Hey, Momo-chan… H-He didn't mean anything by it… Probably. Don't hurt him, w-we've got the exam in a couple of hours, you know?" Manabu's timid yet deep voice called out from behind her. Yui looked over her shoulder, looking at him for a moment, before dropping Karasugi bodily on the ground and grinning widely at Manabu, her fish-like fangs and dark hair contrasting wildly with Manabu's short, mint-green locks and his normal teeth.

"You're right, Manabu-kun. Now's not the time. I'll just tell Mei-sama once we're back." Karasugi's eyes widened at that, scrambling to his feet.

"What!? I haven't even fucking-"

A clap resounded through the room, stopping the genin dead in their tracks. They turned to look at Gonbee-sensei, who had finally stood up from where he had been reclining peacefully in their hotel room. "That's enough, all of you. Come, let's get a move on."

* * *

Iwagakure was so different to Kiri, and Mizu no Kuni in general. It was literally built out of and into the surrounding mountains, which was completely different to the island-like terrain that Karasugi and his team called home. He'd never even seen a mountain before coming here, and could still scarcely believe that such huge and tall natural deposits of rock didn't just exist, but were _common_ in this part of the world, and in Lightning Country as well. It was insane.

He didn't have time for sightseeing, though. Yui and Gonbee-sensei were leading the way, heading to the staging area where they were told that the Exams would be taking place in. On the way he saw a few Iwagakure ninja, all of whom seemed to be watching them out of the corner of their eyes. He guessed that made sense - they _were_ technically foreign, if not enemy, ninja waltzing around their home. He gave each one he could make eye contact with a glare, until Manabu told him to stop.

"Why the hell should I? They're disrespecting us!" He exclaimed in response. "We're here to show that Kiri's not to be fucked with any more, so why should I let that shit fly and pretend nothing's happening?"

Manabu didn't even look at him as he continued to walk forward, idly adjusting the thin blade by his waist as his glasses slid down his nose. "I-I know that, b-but t-this is still th-their turf. Th-there's no need t-to a-antagonize them. W-We just n-need to show o-our stuff i-in the Exams. That's all."

"Manabu's entirely right, Sugi." Gonbee-sensei spoke up. "You can't blame them for being vigilant when there are foreign nin crawling around their village. They only want to keep their home safe."

Karasugi huffed, crossing his arms and looking to the side. "Alright, alright, shit! I get it! Doesn't mean they have to look at us like we're trash, though…"

"They aren't looking at us like that, just you. Since you are pretty shit, after all." Yui chirped, instantly setting Karasugi off.

"What was that, you gorilla cunt!?"

Yui spun to face him, her golden eyes smouldering. "THE _**FUCK'**_ D YOU CALL ME!?"

"That's enough, both of you!" Gonbee-sensei raised his voice, stopping both of them in their tracks before they could come to blows again. "We're here." Sure enough, they'd arrived at the staging area that had been described to them when they'd arrived in Iwa. Gonbee-sensei turned to regard the three of them, eyes lingering on each for a second. "You're on your own from here. You know what to do. Don't fucking kill each other, alright? If you insist on failing, at least make it because of a _different_ team."

Karasugi grinned, saluting at the older man. "Got it, sensei! We'll get this done in a flash and come back with three new vests!"

Yui joined in with the good mood, cracking her knuckles. "I can't wait to kick some foreign ass."

Manabu remained calm, checking everything one last time. "See you soon, sensei."

Gonbee-sensei nodded, knowing no more encouragement was needed, and stepped to the side, allowing his genin to enter the building. As soon as they did, they were surprised by the sheer amount of other ninja here, all surrounding a central podium with a huge clock hanging above it, that seemed to have the wrong time on it, but whatever. There were tons of Iwagakure nin, for obvious reasons, but there were plenty there from Amegakure and Kumogakure as well. They even spotted one Konoha team, the first time they'd sent one in since they'd pretty much got wiped off the map by Oto and Suna. They didn't look like anything special - they had one of those white-eyed freaks, sure, but the pink-haired bitch and the kid who looked like he'd just graduated she was carrying around on her shoulders looked like weaklings.

Speaking of Suna, they had a few here too - now that they finally had their Fifth Kazekage, they seemed to have ramped up their presence on the world stage again. It wasn't that surprising - their position as one of the Great Five was almost as tenuous as Konoha's was. If either of them weren't careful, Ame or Taki would take their spots in a flash. Karasugi couldn't see a single team from Oto. It seemed like they might've completely fallen apart now. Figures.

There were eyes on the three of them from the moment they entered, most, if not all of the teams looking at them as they entered, apart from the Konoha team, who seemed more concerned about entertaining the kid they had around. That was why he'd even paid them any attention - they were so incompetent that they hadn't even noticed that they'd entered. He grinned to himself, keeping them in mind. Depending on what the Exam actually was, they'd be easy targets, once they took care of weird-eyes.

Yui whistled beside him, looking around at the gathered genin. "Whew, look at all these losers. Man Sugi, I thought you sucked, but I might not've given you enough credit! These guys are complete trash!" She didn't bother lowering her voice at all, every single genin in the crowded room hearing her, and those that hadn't paid any attention to the entering team from Kiri before certainly were now. Even the ones from Konoha glanced over, Karasugi making eye contact with the pink-haired girl for a second before she went back to what she was doing before.

Manabu simply sighed. "Momo-chan…"

"What, Manabu-kun? It's the truth. No point in lying to these weaklings - gives 'em a chance to run now. 'Cos I'll kill them later if they don't." At this point, some of the disparaged genin were beginning to make their way over to the loudmouths from the Hidden Mist, lead by a particularly burly looking all male team from Iwagakure. They towered even over the normally quite physically-imposing Yui, surrounding the three.

"Want to say that again, pond scum?" The leader of the group said.

Yui grinned, raising her fists, as Manabu and Karasugi also got ready to fight. "What, you fuckin' deaf, too?"

"She said you're a fucking loser, guy. And that we're gonna walk all over you dickheads." Karasugi finished for her, grinning as well.

The Iwa genin saw red, raising his fist to hit one of them, but was stopped by a plume of smoke coming from the central stage. The smoke cleared to reveal a Iwagakure jonin, with black hair tied in a bun that faded into brown bangs that framed her face and similarly brown eyes standing on the podium, wearing a black sleeveless dress, with bandages over her waist and thighs. "Listen up maggots, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once! My name is Kusakabe Saki, and I'm the proctor of this phase of the Exams! All of you, shut the fuck up and line up in front of me, now!"

Her voice made it clear there'd be no arguing, and all the genin quickly complied. Within moments, they were all standing in ranks in front of her. Saki smiled, happy that it'd been so easy to cow the little loudmouths. She crossed her arms, her mouth setting into a grim line, as she barked at the gathered genin, tapping her foot to a beat. "The First Phase of the Chunin Exams began the moment the first team entered this hall. You've already wasted almost half your time. I'm only here because you morons haven't seemed to pick up on that yet!"

The gathered genin erupted into protest at that, which only served to piss their proctor off. "Shut it, worms! Don't fucking complain to me about your own incomptence! A chunin should always be on their guard, and should always be prepared to act, even if the mission parameters seem different than described - in fact, that's when they _definitely_ should be acting. You chumps have barely got half an hour left to find your keys!"

Saki smirked, taking pleasure in the confused faces of the dumb shits in front of her. "What are you looking at me like that for? You didn't think that the Exam would really be taking place _here,_ did you? And with so many of you? Obviously not. You need to find the keys hidden in this building to get to the _real_ exam site. That's where the Exams really begin."

Saki's smirk grew wider. "So what are you doing staring at me for? You've only got twenty eight minutes left!" The room exploded into action as almost all of the genin scrambled away from the podium, filing away into separate rooms the doors to which had only opened once Saki had begun her spiel. Only a handful of genin didn't move, Saki eyeing them curiously. Even still, the more cautious ones eventually moved on, aside for one team in particular - the one from Konoha. Finally having enough of this, she decided to ask them what they were doing. "The hell are you tree-huggers waiting for? You're wasting your time!"

The oldest one of the team looked up at her, that long pink hair and ditzy smile giving off the impression she was dumb, but the battle-hardened edge in her eyes that she just barely failed to hide and the definition in her muscles showed she was anything but. "We would, but you never explained the rules. There's no point rushing ahead if you don't actually know what your goal is. Any chunin should know that."

The proctor stopped tapping her foot, choosing to humour her. "What the hell are you talking about? I told you what you're here to do - you need to find a key to get to the real exam site."

Sakura's smile remained, even as she turned away, seemingly distracted by something on the far wall. "Maybe I didn't get my point across right. Yeah, we know _what_ to get, but you seem to have conveniently left out _how._ So, if you could tell us, that'd be swell."

Saki paused for a moment, before grinning. "Looks like _someone_ in this cohort actually has a few brain cells. Alright, pinky. Here are the rules you're looking for."

* * *

Karasugi, Yui and Manabu all dived into the door that had opened nearest to them, with a team from Suna and the brawny trio from Iwagakure following closely behind them. As soon as the last member of the Iwagakure team entered, the doors slammed shut, seemingly sealing tightly. All three teams looked around, unsure what to do next, as all that was in front of them was a dark corridor, the end of which was sealed with a gate. Suddenly, a voice emanated from the darkness, reverberating around the three teams.

"You've chosen the path of cooperation. There are three keys at the end of this path, one for each team. In this path, either all three teams will pass, or none will. You will rearrange yourselves into three new teams, each with a single member of one of the original teams. If you don't do this in the next 30 seconds, the path ahead will remain closed to you." With the electric crackle of a radio, the voice suddenly shut off. After two seconds of waiting to see if the voice would return, the genin exploded into panic, all of them talking at once.

"Alright!" Yui bellowed at the top of her lungs, shouting over everyone else. "You and you are with me." She said, pointing at the biggest Iwagakure genin who seemed to lead his squad, and a female Sunagakure genin who carried a wrapped package of some sort. "Sugi, you're with shorty," she continued, gesturing to a male Suna genin with no other distinguishing features, "And big guy." She pointed to the smallest of the Iwa three, who still managed to tower over everyone outside his team. "And the rest of you are a team as well. That okay with everyone!?"

At their shaky nod, the voice crackled back to life. "Proceed." The gate at the end of the corridor lowered, and the three new teams warily moved forward, waiting to see what would happen next. The corridor opened up, revealing three separate paths, each dimly lit by torches. "Choose your paths. You have 30 seconds." Getting the hang of it, the three teams split as discussed, Yui's team taking the left path, Manabu's the right, and Karasugi's the one straight ahead. As they stepped into each path, the way behind them slammed shut, a gate appearing from above and sliding closed.

Karasugi and his team waited a moment, but the crackly voice didn't return. Knowing their time was running out, the unlikely trio ran forwards.

* * *

Sakura sat cross-legged on the floor, chattering away to Konohamaru-kun about something-or-other and having the time of her life doing it. Besides them, Kotaro stood looking around warily, the boy far more nervous about the situation than they were. The sound of a gate opening interrupted them, and all three of them turned their heads to see an Iwagakure team walking through it. Sakura's lips curled into a smile as she spared them a glance, impressed. Even without knowing the rules, they'd managed to finish the first phase in five minutes.

The girl who was clearly leading the team's eyes narrowed as she spotted the Konoha three seemingly lounging around without a care in the world, annoyed. She'd thought that they would've for sure been the first to clear this part of the Exams, she'd even bragged that she would to her grandfather. To see these tree-huggers here ahead of her… She stalked forward to them, incensed. "How the hell did you get here so fast?"

Sakura, who had gone back to entertaining Konohamaru at that point, swivelled her head back to the girl, regarding her again. She thought about Observing her, but knew she'd just forget any relevant information about her anyway. If they met later in the Exams… Though that being said, _something_ about her was familiar. She put on a familiar goofy grin, her husky voice spreading through the room as she replied, "We just listened to the rules. Pretty simple stuff."

The black haired girl was taken aback. "Rules? What rules?"

Sakura shrugged. "What rules indeed?"

She only served in infuriating the girl even further. "Answer me, damn tree-hugger! What rules are you talking about!?"

Sakura wasn't even looking at her anymore. Instead, she was playing with Konohamaru, using her skills in chakra manipulation to mold it into whatever kind of shapes and forms she wished, the relatively simple trick still capturing the attention of the young ninja who still truly was a child at heart. Something about this casual… not even dismissal, that would still be more respectful than what was happening - caused the girl to snap, making her draw the tanto strapped behind her shoulder and draw into striking range. However, her approach was suddenly stopped by Sakura holding out a finger, still facing away from her.

"Uh uh uh." Sakura almost guffawed, mirth coating her every word as she wagged said finger. "You need to follow the rules, understand? Haven't you noticed yet? You take another step, and you're gonna get disqualified." The girl hadn't noticed in her anger, but a simple cursory glance around the room showed that Sakura was right - there were proctors all around the room, and many of them seemed ready to react on a hair's trigger.

"Ugh!" The younger girl scoffed, turning around and sheathing her blade. As she did, the various chunin scattered around relaxed, though they kept their eye on her as she walked back to her team. She glanced over her shoulder at the insufferable pink-haired woman, who was still playing with that kid as if she was on some sort of babysitting mission. "I'm Kamizuru Shirotsuchi. I'll deal with you later in the Exams."

"Uh huh." Sakura muttered, the threat entering in through one ear and exiting out the other, apart from a single word. "Kamizuru, huh…"

Where had she heard that before..?

* * *

Manabu and his team rushed forward down their corridor, wary of whatever would come their way next. He'd quickly realised that both the other members of the team were just as reserved as he was, any residual anger or animosity they may have held towards his team as a whole fading as they realised they didn't have a choice in working with them, and when the two loudmouths who had antagonized them in the first place weren't in the immediate vicinity.

Manabu didn't really mind the silence - he wasn't the type of person who felt the need to have every waking moment spent with another to be filled with conversation, in fact being much the opposite - while he wasn't opposed to conversation, if one didn't present itself, he was perfectly content to let silence reign, enjoying the sense of quiet companionship it instilled in him. It was only a bonus that that also meant he didn't have to deal with that annoying stutter that he couldn't seem to shake.

Still, there was a bit of a problem - while this was nice, the quiet nature of all three team members meant that there wasn't an obvious or natural leader presenting themselves between them. If they had to make any more snap decisions, like it seemed they would have to, judging from the little portion of this phase they'd gone through already, they might not have anyone speak up in time.

He sighed in time with his temporary ally from Suna, causing the two to glance at each other in surprise, before sharing a wry grin. It seemed like they really were on the same wavelength. Good, he hadn't been sure if they were quiet because they were choosing to be or quiet because they didn't know what to say, but it seemed the Suna genin at least was the former, which should make things easier. He wondered how the other two were getting on. Knowing them, they'd be having the exact opposite problem to him.

* * *

"I'm the leader of this team!" Yui growled, almost ready to pounce on this dirt-brained upstart.

"No, I am! Just 'cause _you_ picked the teams doesn't mean you also get to lead them!" The Iwagakure genin shot back, bristiling.

"U-Um, I-I think that-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Both of the other two genin screamed, causing the Suna puppeteer to yelp in fear and surprise, complying instantly and cowering in the back. While the two from Kiri and Iwa had their shouting match, she worried over the time they were wasting. They'd had less than thirty minutes to begin with, and while they hadn't seen a clock after they'd entered this room, she could tell that at least five, maybe even ten more minutes had passed since then. At this rate, she wasn't sure they'd be able to get their key in time even if they went forward at full speed.

"Juri of Sunagakure, you will lead this team from now on. All actions you take from this point forward must be decided by you. If you do not follow this rule, you will fail the Exam immediately. Since you need a full team to complete the next phase, your failure will also mean your teammates fail." The crackly radio voice shut off, leaving the two arguing genin in shock and the newly named Juri beet-red from the attention now placed on her.

"Her..?"

"...Seriously?" Sighing, they shrugged. It wasn't worth the risk of failing by arguing. They both nodded at Juri, not exactly happy but willing to work with the situation for the chance of promotion.

* * *

Sakura stretched, yawning. Almost fifteen minutes had passed now, and it seemed like as soon as that first other team passed, they opened the floodgates, as teams steadily trickled into the room after them. By her estimation, it was somewhere between a fifth and a quarter of the teams that had been lined up, so if they kept coming at the same rate, anywhere between a third and half of the total teams that had applied for the Exams would get through the first phase, which was both a surprisingly high and low number. She had expected things to either be incredibly easy or extremely harsh, so the seeming middle ground had caught her off guard.

In the corner, the Kamizuru girl was glaring at her, still smouldering, and as more Iwagakure genin passed and approached her to chat to those they knew, it seemed she spread word about her. Most of the Iwagakure cohort were glancing at her team out of the corner of their eyes if not outright glaring as well, and word slowly seemed to be spreading throughout the other foreign teams that they weren't just any team from Konoha.

She smirked. Things were going very well.

Now, if she could only remember where that name was from…

* * *

Karasugi was completely stumped as he read the plaque on the gate barring them from proceeding any further. "This doesn't make any fucking sense!" He snarled, scratching at his scalp in frustration. Besides him, the short Suna genin also stood, just as confused.

"I understand that we're in a team for now, but… How are we possibly meant to do what this says? No offense, but I wouldn't trust you two with a broken senbon, let alone my hitai-ate."

"Same to you, shortstack." Karasugi snapped back. He read the words again to see if he had missed something, but the message remained as clear as it had the first time. It said that all three of them were required to remove their hitai-ate and entrust them all to one of their temporary teammates, after which the gate would open for him and him alone. "How the hell is this cooperation, or whatever!?"

Behind them, the big guy from Iwa grunted. "I don't get what the problem is. We just gotta do what it says, right?" Karasugi and the Suna genin turned around to look at him in confusion, only to see that he'd already removed his own forehead protector, and swiftly bent down and ripped the Suna genin's off of his head, dropping the two of them into Karasugi's hands immediately afterwards. "So let's just do it. I don't wanna fail the Exam."

Karasugi blinked, looking at the foreign forehead protectors in his hands, before he looked back up at the Iwa genin, almost indignant. "How can you just fucking say that!? I don't know about you, but I worked my damn ass off for my headband! How can you just trust someone you just met and don't even like to take it!?"

"Isn't that the entire point?" The genin replied, in a much quieter voice than Karasugi would've expected, especially considering the seemingly simple logic of his earlier action. "Chunin are drafted into teams based on who is the most capable of completing the current mission at hand, not on who they've worked with before or who they like. If you passed the Exam and got promoted, you'd routinely get put in positions like this. The people in question you're trusting might not be foreign nin you've never met and will never see again, but you also wouldn't just be trusting your hitai-ate to them - you'd be entrusting your life. This seems like a cakewalk in comparison."

Karasugi opened his mouth to argue, but couldn't really find the words. His logic made sense, but what was really shocking to Karasugi was how seemingly smart this guy was - the guy from Iwa'd thought things through much more than he had, and that was surprising. He'd been told that everyone from Iwa was a moron, and nothing before now had made him rethink that, especially considering the guy's looks. It was a shock to the system to think that this guy wasn't actually exactly the same as how he had imagined him to be.

"And besides… ah, never mind." The Iwa genin thought better of what he was going to say, stopping himself. "You gonna go, or what?"

Karasugi glanced over his shoulder, seeing that the gate had actually opened behind him while he had been gaping at this guy. Shaking his head, he grinned. "Yeah, I'm off." He turned and ran to the new entrance, but stopped right before he left the room, turning around again. "Before I forget!" He shouted, beaming at the other two. "What are you guys' names, huh? It's only right I know if I'm taking these for ya!"

The Iwa genin looked at Karasugi, before shrugging. "It's Boutou Jushi."

"Nagoriyuki Aki." The Suna genin supplied.

"Momoshizato Karasugi. Nice to meetcha!" Karasugi saluted, before dashing off down the corridor, the gate slamming shut behind him.

* * *

Manabu was starting to worry. His team had easily made it through their trials, and had been waiting for the other two for almost ten minutes now. They'd gotten a key to open the final gate, but if the other two teams didn't show up in time with the other two keys…

He breathed a sigh of relief as he heard the hiss of a gate opening behind him. It seemed at least one of them had made it, so the other probably wasn't too far behind. He turned to look at who had made it, before spotting Momo-chan, her clothes singed and dirty and her hair all over the place, the rest of her team looking similar. Manabu raised an eyebrow, opening a mouth to ask what had happened considering his team had made it through completely pristine, before Momo raised her hand, stopping him in his tracks.

"Don't even fucking ask. Is Sugi here, or do we have to wait for his sorry ass as well?"

Manabu gestured around him, showing that clearly only the team that he had been with was here. "S-Sorry, Momo-chan. L-Looks like y-you'll have t-to w-w-wait." Around the two, the other team members reunited with their friends they had been separated from as they talked.

"Ugh, figures." Momo complained, letting out a massive sigh before dropping to the floor, sitting on it. "He better be here soon…" She muttered, looking away. Manabu knew her tells by now though - she always did this, hiding when she was worried by making it seem like she was just frustrated and complaining. It was cute to see that she cared when she tried very hard to give off the impression that she didn't, and it was even funnier to see that Sugi still hadn't figured that out, despite how much time they'd spent together.

Still, she had a point. They could only have five minutes left at most - Sugi and his team needed to show up now, really. They were cutting it extremely fine. Luckily though, it seemed that they'd realised that too. The final gate opened with a hiss, and Karasugi's team came rushing through it, all of them panting. "Did we make it in time!?" Sugi shouted, out of breath.

"B-Barely." Manabu smiled, letting his friend catch his breath for a moment, while Momo jumped to her feet.

"Idiot! What took you so long, huh? Manabu-kun and I have been waiting for you losers for ages!" Manabu rolled his eyes, knowing Yui had only just arrived herself, but not saying anything. It was fun to watch him squirm under her gaze, especially because _she_ hadn't realized the only reason he did was because he let her get away with it. The two were peas in a pod, both of them so adverse to showing that they cared, but he supposed that made sense, all things considered.

"Ah, come off it. Nag me later, gorilla-girl, we've got to put the keys in! You guys got yours, right?"

Manabu responded by pulling out his team's key, while Yui motioned over to the Suna team. "She's got ours. Let's get this over with!" As one, the three teams of genin stepped to the final gate, Manabu, Karasugi and Juri all stepping up to it, placing their keys in the holes, and turning them as one. The gate hissed open, revealing a room full of mingling genin, though only about half as much of them as there had been when the Exam had begun.

"Iwagakure, Team 13, pass. Sunagakure, Team Ken, pass. Kirigakure, 8th Cell, pass. Congratulations" The crackly voice they had been hearing since the beginning of the phase spoke out once more, before shutting off for good. The three teams looked at each other, before quietly celebrating as one, none of them admitting to but all of them feeling the faint bond of camaraderie between them as a whole after making it through the first stage together.

The Sunagakure trio quickly ran off to join the others who had passed from Suna, but the Iwa team stayed around Manabu and the rest of the 8th cell for a moment, before Jushi spoke up. "You three are the only ones from Kiri, right?" At their nod, the three from Iwa looked at each other before the biggest one, the one who had been on Yui's team spoke up.

"Why don't you come chill with our lot from Iwa, at least till the second phase starts? Even if we've got to fight each other later, we couldn't have made it through without you guys, so…"

The 8th Cell now took the time to look at each other, before grinning at each other and then at the Iwa team. "Yeah, why the fuck not? Might as well pass the time." Karasugi said, Jushi giving him a matching grin in response. The six then wandered over to the far corner of the room where the other passing Iwagakure genin had concentrated, noticing that most of them seemed focused on something on the other side of the room.

"Yo, Shirotsuchi! Something happen while we were gone?" The leader called out, hailing a girl with short black hair sitting on some stairs, wearing the typical reds and browns of an Iwa nin. She turned away from whatever she seemed to be glaring at, glancing over her nose at the approaching six.

"Juzo, Jushi, Jute… You sure took your time. I thought you failed." Her imperious gaze turned over to the Kiri three, the intensity of her glare giving them pause. "Who are these?"

Juzo chuckled, scratching the back of his head. Whatever had happened had seriously pissed her off. "We had to team up with other teams in the exams to pass the first phase, and these guys don't have anyone else they know here, so I thought I'd be nice and bring them with, y'know?"

She glanced back at Juzo, before turning her attention back to what she'd been staring at before they entered. "...Whatever. Do what you want."

Juzo sighed in relief, the little creep of anxiety that had started when Shiro had been staring at him fading away, while Jute chose to speak now. "What happened, Shiro? You seem… angry."

"That's because I am. Those tree-hugging weaklings over there are pissing me off." She supplied, standing up and pointing at that pink-haired woman who was still infuriatingly playing with that kid as if none of them were here. She'd even pulled the blonde Hyuuga into it somehow at this point. It was as if the three of them were on vacation or something!

"Oh, those three?" Karasugi grinned, sidling up to Shirotsuchi and looking at where she was pointing. "They're nothing special. I scoped them out when we got here. The… what's their name, Hyuuka or somethin'? White-eyed guy, he's probably pretty strong, but the kid's probably a weakling and the older one seems like a bit of an idiot."

"You're the only idiot here." Shirotsuchi muttered, moving back to the stairs and sitting back down on them. "Whatever you think you know, you're wrong. My team and I finished the first phase in less than five minutes." The 8th Cell all looked at Shiro in shock, while Team 13 shrugged, not that surprised. "Yet despite that, when we got here, _they_ were already in here, and they seemed like they'd been here for a while. They'd managed to pass at least a whole minute before we did, if not two or three."

If he'd been surprised before, Karasugi was now almost completely floored. He focused his attention back onto the Konoha group playing on the other side of the room, quickly reevaluating his opinions on them. "How's that even fucking possible?"

"I don't know." Shirotsuchi's expression began to smoulder, remembering the complete disinterest she'd been treated with, something she'd never dealt with before today. "But I know this. That pink-haired woman isn't a moron. She's _definitely_ hiding something. I guarantee it."

Across the room, Sakura threw her head back in laughter at one of Kotaro's jokes. When the boy really relaxed, he was actually a joy to be around, and she was warming to him almost as much as she had warmed to Konohamaru. Even so, as she laughed, she could feel it - almost everyone in the room's eyes were on her, even the proctors. Inwardly, she grinned.

_Phase One, complete._

* * *

"Hmph, so half of you maggots managed to make it through… I suppose you've done a decent job getting this far." Saki sniffed, turning her nose up at the assembled chunin hopefuls as she crossed her arms. "But don't think for a second that you're done - if you think that was as bad as its gonna get, then you're in for a world of hurt. That phase was only meant to weed out the real weaklings, the ones who had no shot at all of becoming chunin. Now that we can be sure that the rest of you standing have _some_ ability… well, it's not my place to say."

She smirked, before walking away from the genin, a slim, wiry looking man walking up from the other side, taking her place. He took a moment, regarding the gathered young shinobi, before suddenly standing up straight, shouting "Attention!" with so much sheer, unexpected force, that almost all of the genin instinctively reacted to it, following his order. The man didn't relax, casting his gaze over the now attentive genin a second time, now focusing on the genin who _hadn't_ reacted to him.

Any genin who had gotten this far would have the instincts and reactions to obey a shout like that, which meant the ones that hadn't had either been expecting it, or simply had masterful control over their body that spoke volumes of the quality of their training. Either way, they were the ones to watch - they'd most likely be the ones who survived.

He allowed himself a small smirk, catching sight of the team that Kusakabe had said were by far the most interesting of the lot. He still couldn't believe they'd had the audacity to just _ask_ for a key directly, but to be fair, there was nothing in the rules against that. It was typical of Kusakabe to just give handouts to the ones she liked the most, too… Still, now that he was seeing them himself, he could tell - there was _something_ about them that was clearly different from the rest, or more specifically, something about _her_ in particular. Perhaps he'd see what that was soon.

He wiped the smile off his face before anyone could see it, raising a foot and stamping it into the ground, causing everything in the room to rattle as the sound reverberated around. "I am your Chunin Exam second phase proctor, Urushima! I expect every single one of you to listen up, and listen well. If you don't, I'll simply disqualify you right here. We have no use for chunin who cannot listen to orders!" He barked with all of the strength of a drill sergeant, or a platoon commander dressing down his men, and all the genin seemed to respond to him, knowing that he wouldn't take any messing around

"The second phase is simple! You will all be taken to the Peak of Enmity immediately following this debriefing. Once there, each team will be given one of two scrolls; a Heaven scroll, or an Earth scroll, and then will be sent into the Peak. Your task is to take the scroll you don't have from an opposing team, and make your way to the summit. There will be a checkpoint there. Present both scrolls, and your team will pass!" Urushima shifted slightly, before continuing.

"Obviously, to take the scroll from another team, you'll need to engage them. In addition, the Peak has many of its own natural perils. If you're thinking that it can't be that dangerous, think again - from this point onwards, killing is allowed, and will be for every stage of the Exam after this one. People can, and will, die. If you're not prepared to risk your lives, leave now! We have no use for chunin - no, no use for _shinobi_ with **such weak resolve!** "

He had expected at least some of them to get nervous, but as far as he could see… none of the genin so much as twitched. Urushima fought the urge to grin. This was a good batch. "You will have four days to claim the scroll that you need, and to scale the Peak. If you lose your scroll, don't immediately give up - it doesn't matter _who_ had what scroll first, as long as you present two scrolls to the checkpoint before 96 hours pass, you will pass this stage of the Exams. Are we clear!?"

A resounding "Yes, sir!" filled the room, and this time Urushima did grin, wholly impressed by now.

"Excellent! Follow me!"

* * *

Karasugi wandered back over to Yui and Manabu, having given in their consent waivers saying they were fine with the risk to their lives that they were taking. He saw that Jushi and his team were with them, chatting about something. "Yo, you three. What's up?"

Jushi turned, looking over. "Karasugi, you're here. Juzo has a suggestion for your team."

Karasugi looked intrigued, swivelling his head over to the biggest Iwa genin. "Yeah? What is it man?"

Juzo scratched the back of his head, the near altercation between their two teams almost completely forgotten now after their stint together in the first phase of the Exams. "Well, you know Shiro, right? She's _really_ pissed at that Konoha team. To the point she's trying to get all of us Iwa teams together into one massive force to crush them during this next phase."

"W-What, you want us t-to j-join?" Manabu asked quizzically.

"Nah, nothin' like that. I mean, even considering what happened, we barely know each other and all, not to mention you don't know the other guys at all. It's just… I don't know. Thought we should let you know. We wouldn't be here if not for you, so…"

Karasugi clasped a hand on his shoulder, giving him a grin full of bladelike teeth. "Don't worry about it man, I get you. Thanks for the heads up." He said, letting go of the Iwa genin, who seemed reassured by his words. Juzo nodded, before stepping back.

"Alright. We'll be off, then." The Iwa three went to leave, but before they were out of earshot, Karasugi pointed at them.

"You guys better pass! I want to get the chance to actually fight you, y'know!?" Jushi turned and smiled, giving him a salute, before the three disappeared into the crowd. Karasugi watched them go, before spinning around to his team. "We ready for this?"

"Born ready."

"O-Of course."

"Alright. We get our scroll when we enter, which is gonna be in ten minutes. Let's do this!"

* * *

Yui hadn't really known what to expect when she heard the name Peak of Enmity, but it certainly hadn't been what it turned out to be. It was one of those mountain things, but it looked like… like the top of it was _on fire_ , or something. However, that wasn't the weirdest thing about it - that was the little holes she could see dotted around everywhere on its surface. As they actually reached the monolith, she realized that each of those holes was a tunnel - presumably man-made, and they all led into a maze-like web of paths within the thing itself.

"We're meant to climb _that_ in four days? What the fuck even _is_ that!?" Karasugi asked beside her.

"It's a-a volcano. The t-thing that l-looks like f-fire at the top i-is actually just m-melted r-rock."

"Melted rock? How the hell did _that_ happen?"

"H-How am I s-supposed to k-know? I-I know what i-it _is,_ n-not how i-it g-got here." Karasugi accepted that, turning his attention back to the… volcano.

"Well, not like we can turn back now… We ready?" Yui and Manabu both nodded, the Heaven scroll being stored securely in Manabu's backpack. "Alright then… let's go!" The three of them rushed into the nearest entrance, moving as fast as they could without going so fast as to tire themselves out prematurely. They moved like this for a good thirty minutes, before coming to a larger room carved out of the rocks, taking a moment to rest and get their bearings, none of them noticing how much they'd begun to sweat despite how relatively little they'd moved.

"How are we meant to get water and food in here, anyway?" Yui asked, looking around the barren room.

"We p-probably aren't. That's w-why t-the time limit's four days - h-humans a-are meant to b-be able to s-s-survive f-for three without a-any water…. T-They're testing o-our e-endurance."

"Hmm... " Karasugi muttered. "Would you be able to make drinking water, Manabu?"

"I-If you give m-me t-time. I can gather t-the water vapour, t-though t-the air here is pretty dry…"

"...Okay. If we run out of water or need it desperately, we can get through that way. How are we on rations?"

"Got a full pack." Yui muttered.

"H-half."

"I'm at half too. We can make that last four days. Okay, good. Now we need to focus on how we're gonna get a scroll. Any ideas?"

"We just climb up and beat the shit out of anyone we see, obviously. What else would we do?" Yui said, hands crossed behind her head as she rested against a rock.

Karasugi grinned at the simple but effective plan. "Sounds good to me."

"We c-can a-add to it l-later, if we n-need to." Manabu added. "F-For now, l-let's focus on r-rearranging o-our water and rations, s-so all of u-us have equal amounts. T-Then we c-can move after that." The other two nodded, placing their packs on the ground and opening them up to do just that.

* * *

"Neechan… Can't we move on yet? We're meant to be looking for our scroll, why are we just staying here?" Konohamaru whined as they sat, packs on the ground behind them.

"Because," Sakura purred, flicking the boy in the forehead and causing him to flinch back, whining even more about the slight pain. "There probably aren't many other reservoirs of water like this elsewhere in the mountain. We don't need to move - eventually, people are going to get desperate and start searching for water. Even the well-prepared ones will - likely no one's taken into account how hot it is here, and how dry the air is. The conditions mean people are gonna sweat a lot more than they're used to, and they're gonna run out of water way faster than they think. We can sit pretty here and wait for them to come for us."

 _And staying in one place will make it easy for the Iwa coalition to find us._ She thought to herself as she looked across the water, but the boys didn't need to know about that just yet. Kotaro shifted, looking nervously around the reservoir where they had stopped at. "Still though, Sakura-san… Wouldn't it make sense for us to just find someone with a Heaven scroll and take it so we can pass quickly?"

"Why?"

Kotaro blinked at the question, confused. "Uh… to pass quickly, like I said."

Sakura chuckled, shaking her head and turning it to look at the boy. "No, I know that. I mean why would that benefit us? What's the point of passing early, and what even gives you the impression that we can? We need to get to the checkpoint in 96 hours, sure, but we were never told that it'd be _open_ before then. And even if we assume it is, again, what's the point? We'd have to wait for the exam to end anyway. It's a question of waiting here or there.

"We don't gain anything from rushing to the finish line, and honestly, doing that would probably be detrimental if anything. If we rush, we waste energy and lose concentration. We become easier to track and to ambush, and become juicier targets all around. But if we take our time, we can stay hidden, be the ones doing the ambushing, all that kinda stuff. Do you understand what I'm getting at, Kotaro-kun?" Kotaro nodded, now beginning to understand the older ninja's thought process.

"I didn't really… think about any of that." He said, looking downcast, but Sakura placed a hand on his head, ruffling his hair.

"Don't worry, it comes with experience. You'll get there." Sakura's ears twitched, as the people she'd been waiting for finally arrived. "We've got visitors." Both of the boys' eyes widened, before they narrowed, steeling themselves, but Sakura gently placed her hands on her shoulders, standing up. "I'll deal with this, so don't get involved. If you want, you can watch, but make sure you stay back. I don't want you getting hurt." The woman stalked over to the cave entrance, only getting there halfway before a massive boulder launched itself at her.

"Neechan!" Konohamaru cried in panic, but it was unwarranted, as he watched Sakura react with extreme poise, drawing her blade and cleaving the rock in two in a single swift, clean action.

Flicking her new katana she'd picked up before they'd left Konoha, Sakura grinned, looking to the cave entrance. "Nice try, but you're gonna have to do better than that." At her taunt, shapes emerged from the shadows, revealing no less than four different Iwa teams, though Sakura didn't spy that angry little girl among any of them. It was just as well, though. Scum was scum was scum.

"You insulted Shirotsuchi-sama, and you're a team of worthless hippy tree-huggers to boot. We're gonna pay you back for all of that!" The one leading the group as a whole shouted, the other genin behind him all seeming to agree.

"Oh, is that so? Well, I-" Sakura paused for a moment, something clicking in her mind. "Wait, Shirotsuchi- _sama_? The fuck's that?"

"Kamizuru Shirotsuchi! Iwa's strongest genin, granddaughter to the Tsuchikage!" The genin barked back, and the pieces finally fell into place for Sakura.

Sakura began to laugh darkly, looking up at the ceiling as she covered her face with her free hand. A feeling of… _wrong_ began to seep from her, unnerving the Iwa coalition and her teammates alike as her chuckle began to gain a hint of madness as it came on stronger. "God, I'm a moron! How the fuck did I forget _her_ , of all people!?"

The laughter stopped, as Sakura's hand fell from her face, now looking down at her feet, grinning at nothing with her eyes glowing orange. "Oh, Shirotsuchi-chan… This is absolutely perfect. I can't wait to see you again now. We're going to have so much fun…" The feeling of wrong intensified, and evolved, becoming absolutely crushing killing intent which made all of the gathered Iwa genin realise at once they'd made a mistake. The intent washed over Kotaro and Konohamaru, Sakura making sure they weren't to be affected by it, but the intensity of it was so strong that they could still sense that _something_ was happening.

But just as suddenly as it appeared, it vanished. "Oh, but I can't play with her now… No, that wouldn't work. It would have to be when everyone can see… I have to wait. But now I'm so worked up…" She was almost panting, licking her lips in anticipation as her cheeks flushed. "I need a release." Sakura's sword flashed, and she disappeared, appearing in the middle of the Iwa genin, one already falling from being bifurcated by an attack so fast no one else in the cave had even been able to perceive it.

Sakura's left hand flicked towards the next enemy, Restraints long since released, striking him three times in the chest at lightning speed, each hit ripping a hole the size of her fist right through his body. She pirouetted, the speed of her twirl literally slicing through the air as she did. Her hand was like a knife edge as it sliced cleanly through the head of the last genin of the first team, and as that one fell, she chose then to stop and allow the gathered Iwa nin to react. She didn't want this to end too quickly, after all.

All three bodies hit the ground almost at once, the sound being the thing that alerted the remaining genin to turn around. They did in unison, recoiling in shock at the sight of three of their friends and classmates not just dead on the ground, but completely _mutilated._ One thought it would be a good idea to try and run, turning away again and taking a single step before Sakura disabused the others of that notion, flinging her sword into the back of his head and out of his mouth.

"Well?" She asked, after a moment. "What are you waiting for? Fight." The genin only looked at her as if she were mad, which only disappointed her. "And you want to be chunin? Figures." She walked past the group as if they weren't there, now thoroughly bored. The woman reached down, pulling her katana out of the skull of the fourth one she had killed, not even turning back to look at the rest. "If you're not going to fight, at least have the decency to scream for me."

The remaining five suddenly exploded into clouds of blood and gore, dying instantly. The only hint Sakura had even moved was the fresh blood coating her blade, and the extremely conspicuous slash marks on whatever she hadn't already hacked to pieces of the bodies. She walked over to Konohamaru and Kotaro, Konohamaru looking starstruck while the Hyuuga boy looked almost sick. "That was awesome, Sakura-neechan! Can you teach me how to do that-kore!?"

She smiled tenderly at him, the motherly expression clashing horribly with the bright red liquid staining her face and clothes. "Sure thing, kiddo. Later, though. I know I literally _just_ said that we don't need to bother rushing this, but for some reason, I'm really bored of this exam all of a sudden, so let's get this over with. Let's check out their scrolls and get a move on, okay?"

"Sure thing, boss!"

"Y-Yeah… sure."

* * *

"Damn… how fucking lucky can we be?"

"Y-Yeah… thank t-the s-stars, Sugi." Manabu said, panting from the heat. They hadn't expected the conditions to be so bad. The further up and deeper they went, the drier it got, and the heat increased exponentially. It was almost unbearable for the 8th Cell, who were used to the relatively cool environment of the Land of Water, and it was taking a toll on them. They'd run out of water on the first day, and rations on the second. Luckily for them, they'd just stumbled on a lake of water in one of the caves.

"Come… on. We just… need an Earth…" Yui mumbled, having gone slightly delirious from heat and lack of water.

"Hold on, Yui. Easy. There's some water here." Karasugi muttered, supporting the younger girl, her face bright red and dripping with sweat as she tried to push forward. Her expression twisted, pushing Karasugi off of her, before she took another shaky step under her own power.

"Don't fucking… patronize me. I'm… not… a loser… like you…" She barely managed to get out, reaching the reservior as she did. Manabu and Karasugi shared a glance, before stepping forward to follow her, when-

"Hi! Did I hear you say you need an Earth scroll?"

Karasugi and Manabu whirled around, eyes wide, while Yui barely looked over her shoulder at whoever was speaking before going to drink some of the water, uncaring if it was dirty. It was the Konoha woman, the one with pink hair, smiling at them like they were childhood friends. How had she snuck up on them like that? "I'm assuming you've got a Heaven scroll, then? If so, I'm happy to trade. We got plenty of extra Earth scrolls."

"You've got 'extra'? How the fuck have you managed that?" Karasugi asked, skeptically. He kept his hand on his naginata, wary.

"Oh, some idiot dirt-brains attacked me. There were like, four teams or something..? Anyway, I killed them all and took their scrolls. They all had Earth ones, though, which was a little annoying. But now you've solved my problem! Just gimme one of your extra Heaven scrolls and I'll give you one of the Earth ones, and we'll both be happy."

Manabu looked at her in horror. "Y-You killed f-four t-teams by y-yourself?"

"That's what I said!" The smile refused to leave her face. If someone just saw her and couldn't hear what she was saying, it would be easy to think she was talking about her new puppy or something by how happy she seemed.

"Wait, dirt-brains… Did you… Did you fucking kill Jushi's team, bitch!?" Karasugi shouted, outraged.

"How should I know?" Her smile finally began to look a little forced, as her patience began to wear thin. "I didn't ask for their life story. Scroll, please. Now." As she stepped towards the two, Yui stood refreshed, looking much better after drinking her fill.

"We don't have an extra one, you bitch. We haven't fucking run into anyone aside from you!" Karasugi spat, readying his naginata to attack.

"Oh. That's a shame." The woman disappeared, and the two boys heard a sickening squelch that they recognised all too clearly as the sound of a blade cutting through flesh. They turned again, to see Yui fall to the ground in a splatter of blood, the Konoha bitch standing over her with sword in hand.

Karasugi's mind blanked out, as the sight began to replay over and over in his mind. He looked at the limp, unmoving body, only able to let out a single word. "Sis..?"

There was no response. And Karasugi saw red.

With a guttural, animalistic snarl, he charged the bitch, spinning his naginata and bringing its bladed end to bare on the woman's face with his full body weight behind it. She didn't even move, Karasugi's attack being too fast for her to react to, and so took the attack head on. The impact rattled the shaft of his weapon in a weird way the Kiri genin wasn't used to, assuming that he'd struck with so much force that he'd knocked her head clean off.

But then he saw what had happened.

The head of his spear had shattered on impact, shards of the naginata blade flying across the cave. In his hands he was holding a useless, broken stick. The bitch stood there, with a single, tiny scratch on the side of her face, which sealed itself shut before his very eyes. He hadn't been too fast - she just had chosen not to even bother dodging. He stood there, frozen, watching her raise her sword to deliver the blow that would kill him instantly, when-

A huge dragon of water sunk its teeth into her torso and threw her into the cavern wall with the force of a maelstrom. Karasugi's head whipped around, seeing Manabu standing there, panting and hands still in the Bird seal. His hands dropped to his sides, and both rushed to Yui's side, Manabu placing his fingers to her neck and feeling a weak pulse, while Karasugi could hear her shallow breathing. She was still alive. They weren't far from the summit, if they got a scroll _now_ and got there they'd be able to-

"Wasn't expecting that! Well done, kiddo. You're a bit more impressive than I thought you'd be. Unfortunately for you, I still need your scroll. But… we could come to an agreement, you know. I happen to be a pretty good medic." The bitch said, from right behind them. Karasugi's skin crawled, but he turned around, trying his best to not be afraid.

"How the fuck are we meant to believe that!? You just want the scroll!"

"True. But if you don't help her right now, she's gonna die. Even if you're like typical Mist rodents who kill your own countrymen for fun, if she dies you can't pass the Exam. It's in your best interest to trust me, shannaro."

Yui's eyes cracked open, as she struggled to speak. "Sugi… Niichan…"

Karasugi faltered, and Manabu turned to him, tears in his eyes. "Sugi, we have to! She's your sister! We can't let her die, not like-"

"Shut up, Manabu!" He shouted, silencing the younger boy. "...If I give you the scroll, you'll save her?"

She smiled at him, this one looking more genuine than the first time. "You have my word."

"...Fine. Manabu, give it to her!" The other boy nodded, quickly fishing it out of his backpack and handing it over. Sakura looked over it, making sure that it was the real deal, before pocketing it. The boys looked at her expectantly as she stepped closer to Yui.

Sakura's smile turned twisted.

The two boys' throats were ripped open in a shower of blood, and Sakura walked away, wiping her hands on her new combat shorts she'd bought before leaving the Leaf, grinning to herself. "As if they actually believed that shlock. Who would willingly heal their enemy even if it meant they completed their mission? I take back what I said, they were fucking idiots."

She began to wander back to where she had left a fire clone with the boys, now that they were finally ready to get out of the damned volcano. The heat was messing with her hair something awful. "I guess I'm just that good of a liar."

* * *

**Didn't really mention it in chapter, but obviously Sakura got new clothes before she left to replace what she lost. It's pretty much the same as her old stuff.**


	43. Sow

**A Life of its Own, Act I**

**Larger Than Life**

**Sow**

Sakura rolled her shoulders, cracking her neck and spine as she stepped out of the bed she'd been using in the outpost. If her internal clock was right, the 96 hours of the second phase should be ending any moment now. She gave herself a sheepish smile in the mirror of the small room, looking at her disheveled looking state - anyone who saw her would be able to tell she just rolled out of bed, but then again, that's what she wanted. She scratched her cheek, before wrapping her scarf around her neck, the new Konoha forehead plate that was stitched into it gleaming, picking up her sword and striding out of the room.

"Morning, boys! Did you have a nice night?" She called as she entered the main hall of the building, hand raised in greeting. Konohamaru turned to look at her, a disappointed look on his face.

"It's afternoon, kore… Neechan, you sleep too much."

She ruffled his hair, the boy squirming under her experienced touch. "Much the opposite, Konohamaru-kun." She smiled at Kotaro, but the Hyuuga seemed more preoccupied with the various jonin and chunin in the room, along with the other genin there. He was still a bit too high-strung… She supposed she couldn't wring that out of him this quickly. He was a Hyuuga, after all - it was genetic. Still, she would've thought his time with the Yamanaka clan would've mellowed him out by now…

Her gaze flitted around the room, itching to stop on her new plaything, but knowing that treating her like she was nothing now would only make things sweeter in the end. Instead she looked around at the various teams in general, as well as the foreign jonin lining the walls, who seemed to be the gathered sensei of said teams. Only four other teams had made it to the outpost, Shirotsuchi making it there first, and as Urushima shouted that the phase was over, it seemed like Sakura and her boys were the last.

The other girl scowled. Not only were those tree-huggers here, and seemingly unharmed, but none of the teams that had gone after them had made it either. She glanced over to the Ju trio, the other Iwagakure team that had passed. The only reason they had was because they had gotten a Heaven scroll from the start, like her team. The other four had handed off their Earth scrolls so that they could pass while they dealt with the Konoha scum, but clearly they'd failed. She'd need to whip them into shape when the exam was over.

It didn't matter much. She wanted the pleasure of breaking them herself anyway. Beside her, Jushi and Juzo seemed disappointed about something. What, she didn't know, or really care about, but they were definitely bringing the mood down. "The three of you look pathetic right now." She spat venomously. "Stand tall. You passed for a reason, though God knows what that might be. Act like it. You're almost chunin." The words did seem to have some effect, emboldening them at least a little bit.

Shirotsuchi's gaze then fell on the other two teams. One from Amegakure, and one from Kumogakure. Unsurprising, really. If not for this strange Konoha trio, the ratio of teams passing would've been about what she expected. She'd thought perhaps the three from Kiri the Ju trio had found might've made it as well… perhaps that's what they were bummed about. She frowned. They had a real sentimentality problem.

"Congratulations to all of you. You've passed the Chunin Exam's second phase, which means I'm done with you. Don't get complacent. The worst is yet to come." The skinny jonin stepped to the side, a much more typical Iwagakure jonin wearing a bandana taking his place.

"I'm Mashiru Manamaru. I'll be the third and final stage proctor. Nice to meet you." He gave the genin a second to collect themselves before he went on. "The final phase will be a single elimination tournament! The rules are simple - it's a deathmatch. Either kill your opponent or force them to surrender to win. Each one of you will draw a lot, which will together determine the seeding of the bracket. You'll have a month to go away and prepare before the actual tournament begins, which will be a public affair shown to foreign dignitaries and the entire village. Understand so far?"

At the gathered genin's nods, Manamaru also nodded. "Good. I'll call you up in order of who reached the outpost first. First, Team 3, of Iwagakure." Shirotsuchi and her team stepped up to the box of lots that one of the chunin was holding out, the girl reaching into it and pulling out a slip of paper. "I'll have you call out your number as you pick them out." Manamaru said, Shirotsuchi nodding at the order.

"12." She stated simply.

"1!" chirped Makoto beside her.

"15." muttered Mitsuhide.

"Alright. Next, Team H, from Kumogakure!" Shirotsuchi began to tune out the proceedings at this point, knowing that the numbers wouldn't matter at all without the context of the bracket. She only started paying attention when the fucking nature lovers stepped up, the kid being the first.

"I'm 11, kore!" shouted the kid, who really needed to learn when to shut the fuck up.

"5…" said the Hyuuga, who seemed to not know whether to be happy or sad.

"Which leaves me with 2." The pink haired one purred, in a way that set Shirotsuchi's teeth on edge. She obliged with pulling the final lot out of the box, despite everyone already knowing what number she had by process of elimination. "Lovely."

Manamaru retook control, clapping his hands. "Alright then. The bracket will then be as follows. The first match will be number 1, Emi Makoto of Iwagakure vs number 2, Haruno Sakura of Konohagakure. The second will be number 3, Boutou Jushi of Iwagakure vs number 4, K of Kumogakure. The third match will be number 5, Hyuuga Kotaro of Konohagakure vs number 6, Ichinose of Amegakure, the winner of which will fight number 15, Mitsuhide Wakamura of Iwagakure in the second round, as he will receive a bye through the first.

"Number 7, Jute of Iwagakure will fight number 8, Kasumi of Amegakure in the fourth match, and numbers 9 and 10, J of Kumogakure and Harami Juzo of Iwagakure will fight in the fifth match. The sixth match will be number 11, Sarutobi Konohamaru of Konohagakure vs number 12, Kamizuru Shirotsuchi of Iwagakure. The final match of the first round will therefore be 13, Maki Teruya of Kumogakure vs 14, Ren Satoru of Amegakure. Understood?"

Shirotsuchi's gaze flicked over to her opponent, intrigued. She had written him off as just a kid, but with that name… He was the Third Hokage's grandson, wasn't he? One of the last remaining Sarutobi in general. She smiled despite herself. How fitting. What better way to show how washed up those Konoha fools were than for the grandchildren of each of their Thirds to face off, and for her to absolutely crush that child? She was actually looking forward to this now.

"The third phase of the exam will take place a month from today, in the Arena of Stone. Don't be late. Remember, your alliance to your team means nothing now, and victory does not mean you will pass, either. A chunin must show a level head and an ability to complete the mission no matter what above all else. Each individual stone can be replaced. It's only together that the stones become something more. Dismissed." With that, the proctor disappeared in a cloud of mud, and the gathered genin began to relax, dispersing to find each of their sensei. Shirotsuchi watched the Konoha three go, surrounding a tall man in dark sunglasses, as her smile turned venomous. The bracket was perfect. Her team would be able to crush all three of them within the first two rounds. She was looking forward to the day.

* * *

Sakura was well aware of how fast time could melt away when one had a single minded goal to achieve, and so was also very much cognizant of the fact that because of that, it was imperative to use the little time they did have wisely. To that end, she didn't bother training herself, only doing the bare minimum to please Ebisu as she knew very well she was much more than capable of winning even if she fought every genin in the final phase at once. Instead, her focus was on training Konohamaru and Kotaro, though it wasn't in an attempt to make them stronger, or to ensure they won their first fights.

It was entirely focused on making sure they survived.

Both would be fighting Iwagakure nin early on, and as the second stage had shown, the natives of that village weren't exactly their biggest fans. Normally, she wouldn't bother, but the way that this would probably work would mean that she wouldn't be there to bail them out if something bad were to happen, and she refused to have them die this early on. To that end, she let Ebisu handle them growing in strength, the man having a better grasp on their skills and what they needed to improve on anyway. Instead, she focused on honing their instincts and reflexes, attacking them with no notice and inflicting them with ever increasing waves of killing intent, with the goal being for them to develop their own by the end of the month, no matter how weak.

Konohamaru took to everything she gave him like a fish to water, soaking up both her and Ebisu's instruction like a sponge. Kotaro, while clearly not as naturally gifted as the younger boy, had the advantage of an older, stronger body and more experience, leading him to have his reflexes already honed to a level Sakura viewed as acceptable within a week. However, he wasn't able to muster up much, if any, killing intent - in that department, Konohamaru blew him out of the water.

The month passed.

* * *

The arena was completely buzzing with activity, the environment reminding Sasuke very clearly of 'that' day, mere hours before it had all gone to shit. He didn't dwell on it for long, having long since dealt with his memories of that day. Beside him, Rinka gasped, marvelling on the different architecture and societal norms of the Rock village. Despite technically having been an active ninja for three years now, she was still rather naive in the ways of the world and the various countries that made it up, and it showed. Itachi trailed behind the two, calmly keeping track of everything around them.

Sasuke entered the VIP box, seeing his peers already seated. "Tsuchikage-dono, Raikage-dono. A pleasure to finally meet the two of you. Hanzo-dono couldn't join us?" He asked, keeping his voice even and cordial. Besides the Tsuchikage, he saw Kurotsuchi clench her fists, before relaxing. It seemed she remembered him as clearly as he did her.

"The Salamander chose not to respond to my message, Hokage-dono." Onoki replied curtly, keeping his eyes forward, choosing to not even acknowledge this upstart. Rumour had it that he'd killed all of the elders and former leadership of his village before taking the hat off of Jiraiya.

"A shame. I would've liked to see his reaction to my genin wiping the floor with the competition." Onoki scowled, not rising to the bait, while A glanced over at Sasuke as he took a seat, choosing to ignore the pointed, hate-filled glare that Rinka was shooting him.

"You sound confident, Hokage-dono. Any secrets that you're hiding, himm?" A asked.

Sasuke smirked at the pointed question. "Just watch."

At that, the other two Kage looked back at the craggy arena ground that looked like it had been carved out of a huge boulder, focusing on the battlefield now that the proctor had finished explaining the rules to the spectators. "Without further ado, may the first two combatants step into the arena?"

Emi Makoto burst onto the battlefield at once, her chestnut brown hair going everywhere as she bounced on the balls of her feet, excited. Her opponent seemed far more lethargic, taking a full two minutes to walk down the steps to the arena in her own time. Once she finally stepped out, however… The atmosphere in the VIP box changed. Beside the Tsuchikage and Raikage both, Nii Yugito and Kamizuru Kurotsuchi's breath hitched as they caught sight of that unmistakable pink hair.

The colour drained from Yugito's face, as if she had seen a ghost, while Kurotsuchi clenched her fists so hard she drew blood from her own palms. "That… That girl…" The two of them said in unison, neither one hearing the other, one voice a whisper filled with dread and the other almost snarling with rage. "What the hell is she doing here?"

Killer B looked to Yugito in confusion, seeing how terrified she looked. "Yo Yugito, what's with all the fear? The little girl's only a genin who appeared?" Meanwhile, Onoki looked back at Kurotsuchi, being able to sense his granddaughter's agitation instantly.

"Calm down, Kurotsuchi! What's the problem?"

"Calm down!? What do you mean, calm down? She's the one who… she ended Akatsuchi's career!" Kurotsuchi yelled, while B shook Yugito, who finally managed to respond.

"She's the one… that was in Swamps."

Both of the other Kage's eyes widened at this news, both of them turning to face Sasuke instantly with thunder in their hearts. "Hokage, what is the meaning of this?"

Sasuke didn't give anything away, keeping his voice level and expression neutral, though he very much was taking the reaction of his fellow Kage and their attendants down and filing them away to think about later. "I don't know what you mean, Tsuchikage-dono, Raikage-dono. Genin Haruno is just that - a genin. Her being here is perfectly reasonable."

"How the hell is someone who was on a team with you when you were a kid _still_ a genin!?" Kurotsuchi almost roared.

"Look into her record, I'm telling the truth. Though, Tsuchikage, you might want to invest in a leash." He stared straight at Kurotsuchi, eyes blazing with the Sharingan. "You don't want your dog flipping out and biting someone in her temper. That'd be pretty embarrassing." Kurotsuchi grit her teeth in anger, before opening her mouth to retort, when Onoki interrupted.

"Cool it, Kurotsuchi! Hokage-dono is right, you need to calm down."

"Ugh!" The woman grunted, striding out of the VIP room in anger. Onoki watched her go, before settling back down in his seat, relaxing. Sasuke's eyes faded from red to black, now that he was sure he wouldn't have to defend himself, attention again turned to the arena.

"Thank you, Tsuchikage-dono. Now, shall we watch my genin dismantle yours?"

* * *

"The two of you ready?" Manamaru asked, glancing at each of the genin who nodded their assent. "Then… the Chunin Exam's first match… Begin!" He shouted, lifting his hand aloft, Makoto instantly charging towards her pink haired opponent.

 _Shiro-chan wants her dead, right? Just means I can't let her surrender. I'll beat her in a flash!_ She reached the woman in less than a second, fist already flying forward to meet her face. She hadn't even reacted yet. It'd be a clean hit, but then - she disappeared. Makoto lost sight of her completely, until she realised she'd swayed back at the waist, dodging her quick attack in a flash, but she wasn't stopping there.

Makoto was still following through with her punch, so unbalanced as she was, she was completely unable to avoid Sakura's Flash Kick, being violently launched into the air by it. Sakura landed gracefully on her feet, smiling widely, while Makoto crashed onto the ground, bouncing as she hit the rocks. She quickly sprang to her feet, grinning through the pain. "Wasn't expectin' you to be _that_ quick, but that just makes things more fun!"

"Round one… Taijutsu." Sakura murmured softly, Makoto craning her neck to hear what she said, cupping her ear cartoonishly.

"Huh? What was that?" Sakura didn't respond, keeping the smile on her face. Makoto shrugged. "Whatever. I'm gonna kill you now!" She charged Sakura again, now wary of her speed. She threw a brace of shuriken at the woman, who didn't even bother dodging, letting the wide throw graze her as the stars flew past. Makoto dove into a slide, legs outstretched ahead of her, Sakura jumping above the crude strike.

Makoto scrambled to her feet as Sakura landed, turning and rearing back for a punch. She took a step towards the woman before Sakura appeared behind her, her arm outstretched and hand in a knife edge. Makoto's right forearm flew across the arena, and as the pain hit her, she clutched at her new stump with a bloodcurdling scream, her eyes going wild. The budding excitement of the crowd was suddenly quieted by the gruesome scene, the civilians and even some of the younger shinobi shocked by the sudden grievous injury.

Sakura turned to the still screaming girl, the wide, mad smile still plastered all over her face. "Weren't you going to kill me now? You don't seem to be doing a very good job."

"You… bitch!" Makoto managed to spit out, groaning from the pain but fighting to push it down, mustering the will to keep the battle going. She tried rushing Sakura again, only for her left arm to be shorn off at the shoulder this time. She screamed again, this one more terrifying than the last, while Sakura wiped the blood on her shorts, turning around again to face the girl.

Makoto looked at her wounds, her good mood long gone, the severe blood loss already beginning to make her feel dizzy. "Proctor, I-" She choked on her own organs, as Sakura's arm was suddenly through her chest, wagging a finger at her.

"No, no, no. You don't decide when, or how this ends. _I do_. Understand?" She ripped her ruby-covered arm out of the girl, the Iwagakure already dead as she kept talking. "I'm the one in control here."

Manamaru watched the grim scene impassively, even as some of the more brazen Iwagakure spectators began to boo at the brutal treatment of one of their shinobi. "Winner, Sakura!"

* * *

Sakura took her time taking the stairs back up to the competitors platform, fully in her own world, the anticipation of the match she wanted above all else in the tournament threatening to overtake her. She was so caught up in her own world that she wasn't paying attention, and so wasn't paying attention to who was around her, so hearing someone speak from ahead of her came as a surprise.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing here?" Someone venomously spat at her. Sakura looked up at the familiar voice, and-

_hate hate hate hate her hate hate hate hate hate hate that FUCKING BITCH hate hate hate anger kill kill kill_ _**KILL NOW** _ _kill kill kill pain maim suffer torture break torment play destroy eviscerate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate kill kill kill her hurt her now kill kill kill_ _**hate haTE HATE HATE HATE HATE** _

-smiled glibly at the older ninja stood in front of her.

**Star Crashing Down To Earth  
LV 68  
Kamizuru Kurotsuchi**

"Hey there, Kuro-chan! Been a while!" She remarked, an endearing giggle and tilt of her head cutting off her words. Kurotsuchi scowled at her, the barely restrained contempt she felt evident in her every action.

"I asked you a question, bitch."

"And I chose not to answer something so stupid. It's obvious why I'm here, no?" Sakura laughed.

"Don't give me that shit!" Kurotsuchi yelled, slamming her fist into the wall, causing Sakura's expression to cool and for her to look at the pink-eyed Iwa nin with a calculated gaze. "You and I both know you're far above a chunin. Why haven't you been promoted already? Are you here to embarrass my country!?" She paused, before her hand slowly went to the tanto she kept strapped behind her shoulder, clasping the handle. "Because if you are-"

"Kurotsuchi!" An old voice called out from behind. Sakura tilted her head to the other side, eyes widening with a mad sort of glee as she recognized who she was seeing.

**?  
LV ?  
Onoki**

"Calm the fuck down."

"But jiji-!"

"I won't warn you again, girl!" The Third Tsuchikage growled at his granddaughter, who responded by growling back, though she took her hand off her weapon and took a step back.

"Smart move, old fart. Would be pretty embarrassing if your dumbass granddaughter died fighting a genin." Sakura sneered. Onoki looked over to her, furious.

"You dare disrespect me!?"

Sakura's grin only grew, placing her hands on her hips and looking up over her nose at the short man. "Yeah, I do. What the fuck are you gonna do about it, hit me? Wouldn't _that_ be a scandal, the Tsuchikage himself attacking a defenceless little foreign genin, and right after that genin beat one of _his_ genin no less! Man, that'd be fucking embarrassing."

Onoki scowled. The brat had a point - his hands were tied, unless he wanted to cause an international incident. And something told him that not only would this girl be absolutely fine with him causing said incident, but likely his initial attack wouldn't even kill the upstart. She was clearly an S-ranked shinobi, he could tell just by looking at her. Hadn't the Two Tails even said that she was 'the one from Swamp'? If the info and the rumours he'd heard were true, then… Calling her S-rank was probably an understatement even. Likely the Hokage had seen an opportunity and had refrained from promoting her just to prove a point today.

The brat grinned, placing a hand on his shoulder as she walked past. "There we go. Don't get too worked up and die of a stroke or somethin' before Kuro-chan over there gets a chance to put you in a retirement home, yeah? I'm sure you deserve the best of the best for all of your war crimes." Kurotsuchi snarled, ripping her tanto out of its sheath, causing Sakura to instantly whip around, ready to fight.

"Kurotsuchi!" Onoki shouted again, causing his granddaughter to scowl deeply, but comply, resheathing her weapon. After it was clear there would be no fight, Sakura shrugged, continuing on her way up the steps. The two Iwa nin watched her go, waiting for her to disappear completely before they spoke again. "Tell Shirotsuchi that under no circumstances is she to fight that… thing. The moment the match begins, she must forfeit. Understand?"

Kurotsuchi nodded, agreeing. "Yeah, I'll tell her. No way can she handle someone like her…"

"Good. Go." Kurotsuchi nodded, disappearing up the steps. Onoki was left by himself, ruminating on the situation, the reaction of the girl from Kumo playing fresh in his mind as he thought about things. "What the hell are you playing at, Hokage?"

* * *

Sakura waltzed into the competitors viewing area, hands casually resting in her pockets. Konohamaru greeted her, running up to her with his arms wide. "That was so cool, kore! You beat her so easy, Neechan!"

She swept the boy up into a hug and then higher, placing him on her shoulders, even as she tutted. "'Easily', Konohamaru-kun. Grammar's important, you know? Especially if you're going to be Hokage someday." Around them, the ninja from Kumo gave the two weird looks, as if they couldn't believe how casual they were being, while the five that remained from Iwa, excluding Jushi who had already left for his match, as well as the Ame three, glared daggers at them, not concealing their contempt whatsoever. Sakura ignored them, and Konohamaru followed suit, fully committed at this point to doing whatever she did.

She walked forward, slinging an arm over Kotaro's shoulder, the boy not reacting, used to Sakura by now. "Nervous, Kotaro-kun?"

"Not 'nervous', per se. Just… anticipating. But I'm confident… I think." He responded, keeping his eyes on the match below, where K seemed to be leading the pace.

"Good, that's what I want to hear. Keep what we trained for in mind and you'll do fine."

"You can do it, kore!" Konohamaru added from atop Sakura, finally causing Kotaro to tear his eyes away from the match, giving his youngest team member an exasperated smile.

"Shouldn't you be worrying about your match instead of mine? You're not guaranteed to win like Sakura is, you know."

Shirotsuchi had had enough of these obnoxious idiots. Couldn't they read a room? It was the thing that annoyed her the most about the pink haired one - Haruno, her name was. It was as if she thought herself the main character in some sort of story, or game, and the only things that were important was what _she_ considered important. The way she just dismissed other people who she didn't know or didn't care about… it got under her skin immensely. "The Hyuuga has a point, Sarutobi. Seems like he's the only one on your team with any sense. I'll kill you when we fight if you're not careful."

Sakura blinked, before turning to her with half-lidded eyes, her expression one of equal parts boredom and annoyance. "Uh, can you shut up? We're trying to have a conversation here." She turned back to the Hyuuga, while blood rushed to Shirotsuchi's face, scarcely being able to believe she was being dismissed so casually. Disbelief turned to anger, but as she took a step forward, Mitsuhide placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head.

"She's trying to provoke, Shiro. Don't fall for it. Just pay them back what they deserve in the ring." HIs grip tightened, as his expression soured. "I know I will. For Emi."

Shirotsuchi gazed at him, thankful again for his calming presence. She didn't let him know though, slapping his hand away. "Don't touch me without permission again." She stalked over to the farthest corner away from the Leaf morons, focusing on the match below that seemed to be in its final stages. She scowled, seeing Jushi raise his hand and forfeit, even as the crowd roared in excitement after seeing that not all the fights would be as deadly as the last. "Weakling. How did he even make it this far?" Beside her, Juzo and Jute both flinched, as Mitsuhide simply shook his head.

Sakura stopped leaning on Kotaro, patting his shoulder. "You're up, kiddo. Knock 'em dead." She grinned, teeth gleaming, Kotaro only managing a small smile in return.

"I'll do my best, Sakura-san." He said, before running off down the stairs, his Amegakure opponent trailing after him. Shirotsuchi spat on the ground after him, but Sakura and Konohamaru paid her no mind, eyes focused on the fight that was about to begin.

* * *

Kotaro eyed his opponent warily, taking in everything. His rebreather, his long, oily black hair, the grey camo jumpsuit he was wearing, and the wickedly curved sickles he was holding in each hand, as well as the long, thick black chain that connected the weapons by their handles. Having had the Byakugan as long as he had and therefore having seen the musculature of more people than he could count because of it, the Hyuuga boy could tell that even under his baggy clothes, the man stood before him was nothing but a mass of wiry, tightly coiled muscle that could and would explode out at him the instant he was given an opportunity.

He bit his lip. He couldn't shake his feeling of anticipation, and it was throwing him off - and his opponent knew that, since he'd heard them talking about it in the viewing platform. He sighed, as he mentally complained about Sakura's habit of disregarding everything and everyone in a room if she didn't deem it fun or important, as this wasn't the first time her doing that had actively disadvantaged them later on, and he was sure it wouldn't be the last either. _No point complaining now, though… Besides, she only did it because she had faith that I'd win. So I'll just have to prove her right._

"You two ready?" Kotaro nodded, as Ichinose also did across from him. "Then begin!" The two of them jumped backwards, both going through identical handseals, though neither realised right at that moment. Their hands flew forwards, and lightning sprang forth from their fingertips, colliding in the centre of the arena in a brilliant display. The crowd oohed and aahed at the lightshow, while the two combatants momentarily stared at each other in shock, neither having at all suspected the other of being proficient in ninjutsu, especially Lightning Release specifically.

 _Can't always judge a book by its cover._ Kotaro thought, veins around his eyes bulging as he activated his Byakugan. He dropped into a low taijutsu stance, his initial strategy for this fight now useless, as he prepared to charge his opponent. He lunged forward, hands outstretched towards his enemy's tenketsu, but he was forced to dodge as Ichinose viciously swung one of his sickles at him horizontally.

Instead of retreating like he once might've, though, the boy pressed forward. He didn't halt his charge to avoid the attack, instead dropping to his knees and bending at the waist to slide under the attack. He winced and hissed in pain as the rough ground tore at his knees and legs, but even as he did, he looked up, jabbing at his opponent's arm as he passed under it, closing three of its tenketsu. He stood quickly, spinning around, as Ichinose shook his arm, grimacing. "The hell did you do to me?" The man asked, scowling at the Hyuuga under his rebreather, who could only nervously grin in response.

"Trade secret." He quipped back, quoting what Sakura-san would always say when they asked her how she knew so much or got so strong despite only being a couple of years older. The other genin grunted in response, still shaking his arm in a futile attempt to get feeling back into it. Kotaro knew that he hadn't done nearly enough damage to completely render it useless, but at the very least the unusual numbing feeling and the sluggishness the Ame nin was feeling should be enough to give him some sort of advantage, no matter how slight.

He hopped back a few steps, going through the handseals for another Thunderclap Arrow, hoping the state of his opponent's arm would be bad enough that he wouldn't be able to counter with another one of his own. Kotaro was right, but what he hadn't expected was for Ichinose to raise one of his sickles in the way of the attack, instead of moving to dodge. Kotaro watched as the lightning jutsu hit the sickle, before the electricity ran down the weapon and into the chain on its end, through the chain and finally reached the sickle in Ichinose's other hand, electrifying that weapon as it was held in Kotaro's general direction.

The Hyuuga boy only had Ichinose's sick grin as any indication that something was wrong, before his Thunderclap Arrow fired out of the second sickle straight at him, even faster than it was when he first launched the technique. He didn't have time to dodge, and he knew it. So he tried to defend against the attack the only way he knew how - by copying the Kaiten technique he'd seen the main branch family members use at times in the past. He began to spin, throwing chakra out of his tenketsu as fast as he could.

He knew that something was wrong at once - he wasn't balanced or spaced correctly, he wasn't spinning fast enough, and he couldn't output enough chakra at once, resulting in a very deformed looking defence rather than the perfectly shaped dome that masters of the Revolving Heaven boasted. The actual defensive power of the technique was similarly affected, being far from the almost-impenetrable shield it was designed to be; however, the shoddy imitation that Kotaro had managed was at least enough to bleed off most of the force of his redirected jutsu, so that when it did pierce through he wasn't damaged much, if at all.

Still, it had taken its toll - not in terms of damage done, but rather in his chakra expenditure. Hyuuga were masters of chakra control, but that also meant that their total chakra stores were also not that high. That was the true reason why most Hyuuga in the past didn't use anything other than the Gentle Fist - their pride had nothing to do with it. It was simply the most effective option for them, considering their clan's strengths and weaknesses.

Kotaro was living proof of that now - after only two elemental ninjutsu and an attempted use of a technique that he wasn't anywhere near ready to even learn, let alone master, he was already tired. Certainly he could still fight, but he'd be exhausted if the battle lasted much longer, and as it was, it had been less than a minute since it began. The boy knew he needed to end things quickly somehow, or at least avoid using his chakra if he wanted to have any chance in the next round, or the tournament as a whole. He grit his teeth, grimacing as he settled into the Gentle Fist stance, his opponent gloating to him about his weapon's ability to redirect lightning.

He didn't listen - the information was useless to him right now, since he wouldn't be using any more jutsu anyway. Instead, he watched closely, waiting for his chance. Ichinose raised his hand, preparing to gloat = and Kotaro pounced. His arm as sluggish as it was, the Ame genin struggled to defend properly, allowing Kotaro to get a good five hits in before he was able to backhand him away, the boy too close to properly be hit by his sickles. However, he wasn't expecting Kotaro to easily right himself on the air, and instantly charge back in upon landing.

Due to his surprise, and the damage from the Gentle Fist strikes he had just taken, Kotaro managed to nail Ichinose with thirteen blisteringly fast, well-placed strikes before Ichinose managed to sock the blonde Hyuuga in the chin with a heavy uppercut, busting his lip. The attack was strong enough that Kotaro wasn't able to instantly recover and press the attack again. The crowd roared and swelled with excitement, even as Ichinose grunted, shaking and falling to one knee, looking in shock at his trembling hands. He'd known that those pearly-eyed freaks did _something_ to their enemy's bodies, but he hadn't expected something like this. Just moving was beginning to be a struggle.

He looked up, seeing that the kid had already struggled up to his feet. He'd charge forward any second now. Ichinose pretended to struggle with moving, instead focusing on generating and molding as much lightning chakra as he could without using handseals, preparing to fire it straight from his sickles at the brat. Even if he used that weird spinning defence again, he looked tired enough after the first time he'd probably be able to win anyway, and if he didn't, he'd be fried.

Ichinose smirked under the breathing apparatus, seeing that he was charging forward. He lunged outward with his good arm, electricity crackling and flying outward from his weapon, only to see a log in Kotaro's place. His eyes widened. Kotaro had of course seen him molding the chakra with his Byakugan, and so prepared a jutsu of his own - a Substitution. He skidded around Ichinose, circling towards his back, and while he was still outstretched attacking where he had thought Kotaro would be, the boy unleashed a flurry of jyuuken strikes onto his opponent. They weren't a controlled, practiced barrage like the Sixty-Four Palms, rather they were Kotaro wildly lashing out at every tenketsu he could reach in a desperate attempt to end the fight now.

Luckily for him, it worked. Ichinose slumped to the ground, unable to move much but his extremities anymore. Kotaro sighed as the crowd cheered, deactivating his Byakugan quickly in the hope that he'd be able to recover at least a little before his next match, especially considering he knew his opponent would be fresh. He stepped over Ichinose, walking over to the stairs. "Where… are you… going? We're not… done… yet…" The Ame genin called after him, but Kotaro ignored him, heading for the stairs.

"Are you surrendering this match, Hyuuga Kotaro?" Manamaru called after him, as he reached the stairs, finally causing Kotaro to stop, turning around in confusion.

"Surrender? What are you talking about? I won!"

Manamaru shrugged. "You defeated him, sure. But won? I'm not sure about that. Don't you remember the rules? This is a deathmatch. Ichinose has not conceded, nor has he died. Therefore, this match is still ongoing, no matter what condition he may be in."

Kotaro blinked, before he grimaced, turning his attention back to his opponent. "Concede, give up, whatever! I've sealed off your chakra points. You won't be able to move, let alone win!"

"Fuck… that, you… Konoha freak! Not after… one of you… almost trashed our whole village!" Ichinose angrily spat out.

* * *

Up in the stands, Sakura whistled, smiling to herself. "Oops."

* * *

"Trashed your village? What the hell are you-" Kotaro sighed, placing his palm on his face in an attempt to not get worked up. "Listen, Ichinose-san, there's no way you can win at this point! Trying to force it is literally only going to get you killed. There's no need for this, it's just an exam. You can try again during the next one!"

"Fuck that… kill me, you little bitch… or fucking… forfeit!" The Ame nin growled out, having picked up on the fact that Kotaro was very much not a fan of killing. The boy froze, completely unsure of what to do. He didn't want to kill him, but- Suddenly, Ichinose stood without warning, flinging one of his sickles at Kotaro. The boy dodged it easily, batting the weapon away with his hands. He watched it fly like a pendulum on a wide arc, attached as it was to the other sickle, before it lodged itself into Ichinose's neck, showering him with blood as he watched in horror at what he had inadvertently done.

He barely heard Manamaru call out that he had won as he stumbled back up the stairs.

* * *

Sakura leaned back as Kotaro began to make his way up the stairs, dropping the Delusion she had inflicted on the boy to force him to kill the Rain insect. She didn't know exactly what he had seen, or what he _thought_ he'd seen more accurately, having let his mind fill in the gaps, but she had at the very least forced him to stab the fucker in the neck with his own sickle. Beside her, Konohamaru was cheering his head off, but she tapped on his shoulder to get his attention, leaning down in a stage whisper. "Don't mention to Kotaro-kun how he killed that guy, ok Konohamaru-kun? He's probably not very happy about it, so let's just not bring it up."

Konohamaru nodded, seeing her point. "Got it, boss. Won't say anything, kore!"

"Good boy." Sakura gave him another of those smiles she only reserved for him, ruffling his hair tenderly as he preened under her affection. Shirotsuchi watched them in disgust, disbelieving how tightly she had the Sarutobi child wound around her finger. It must've taken years for her to get this close to him, and even then it surely had been a struggle. Behind her, the Hyuuga stumbled back into the room, the fresh blood of his kill still adorning his face. "Nice job, Kotaro-kun. Don't feel bad, you did what you had to." Sakura said as he came in, stepping over to him and lightly tugging him over to where she and Konohamaru were, hands coated in a faint green light. "Let me take care of that lip."

Shirotsuchi's eyes widened as she watched the Hyuuga boy's split lip mend itself under Sakura's hand, realising the implications of what she was seeing immediately. _If she's a medic, by definition she also has amazing chakra control, meaning…_

"Her taijutsu and speed likely aren't the only thing to watch out for. She's probably quite good with nin or genjutsu, perhaps even both." Mitsuhide muttered, finishing the thought for her as he glowered at the scene in front of him.

"Hey!" One of the Kumogakure genin shouted. J, Shirotsuchi believed? "The hell are you doing? That's against the rules!"

"Show me the rule that says I can't heal other people in the tournament and I'll stop." Sakura returned, not bothering to look at the annoyance, who faltered at her point.

"W-Well, even if there isn't a rule, why are you doing it? The proctor said our former teams mean nothing now anyway!" At that, Sakura laughed, turning around as her healing was complete.

"Fair enough, you've got a point. Alright then, I'll be fair - I'll heal any of you that need it. It'll give you all a better chance."

Not having expected that, J took a step back, confused. "What? Why-"

"Because, dumbass, it doesn't matter one bit to me whether you're fresh or on death's door when we fight. You're nothing to me. I could beat everyone in this room at once with both my hands tied behind my fucking back, so what do I care if you're healed or not when we fight? If anything, that'd make things more interesting for me!" She flipped the bird at the Kumogakure genin, who had shrunk back by now under her intense, vermillion gaze. "So fuck off, maggot. I'll do what I like. If you have a problem with it, try and stop me."

She spun back to Kotaro, her hands flooding with green chakra again as she began running diagnostics on his body. "Now, where were we?"

* * *

Juzo grimaced as he clutched at his wounded arm, eying his opponent's katana warily. Jute had managed to win, thankfully, but it was important that he did as well - after all, it was this guy's teammate that had humiliated Jushi earlier! He had to avenge him somehow. ...And besides, he needed to reach the other side of the bracket, to fight the pink-haired Konoha woman. Shirotsuchi-sama and Wakamura-san didn't believe it, but especially after seeing what she did to Emi-san, and how easily, he was absolutely certain that she'd been the one who'd killed the other Iwa teams in the second phase.

He shuddered involuntarily as he remembered the gruesome images that his sensei had shown them, warning them to stay away from whoever had done it. His opponent cocked his head quizzically from across the battlefield, confused at the involuntary reaction, but Juzo was completely in his own head at this point, missing it entirely. Not only was he sure that she'd killed the other teams, he was also pretty sure she must've been the one who had taken out those three from Kiri, too. He didn't know exactly how strong they'd been, but they definitely weren't weaklings. He doubted anyone else could've handled them without taking serious damage themselves.

So he needed to beat her - no, _kill her_ \- to pay her back for everything she'd done, because he was sure that she'd be the one who reached the finals from that side of the bracket. If he was wrong, and someone else ended up killing her, well… he wouldn't be complaining either. Although he had resolved to kill her if they fought, he was also more than a little… completely fucking petrified by her. He didn't understand how someone like her could exist-

Juzo dived out of the way of a sword swipe, J having finally gotten bored of him zoning out in the middle of a fight. The Iwa genin rolled to his feet, ignoring the scrapes and cuts he gained from the ground, slamming his hands into the rock and dirt below him and letting his chakra flow freely through it. Spikes of earth sprouted outwards from below J's feet, forcing him to dive to the side to avoid getting impaled, but as he righted himself in the air, his eyes widened as he realised Juzo was already face to face with him.

J tried to block as best he could, but the sheer brawn and surprising speed Juzo brought to bear tore through his hasty defences as if they were paper, the larger boy's fist landing squarely on the Kumo genin's stomach, and sending flying backwards where he landed roughly on his back, sword skittering away as he involuntarily lost control of his body through the pain. He groaned as he tried to get up, feeling like he was going to be sick, but Juzo was now focused, already charging him down. He managed to avoid the giant's axe kick with a quick Substitution, using the momentary reprieve to try and get his breath back before Juzo found him again.

Of course, this didn't last very long, Juzo quickly finding him in the battlefield before running through seals and thrusting his hands into the ground again. Instantly, J found himself sinking into thick, sticky mud, and as he struggled to free himself, Juzo charged him once again. The Iwa genin gave up on any pretence of style or finesse, simply bringing his entire weight to bear in a heavy shoulder charge. Unable to get free, J was forced to take the full brunt of the attack, sending him flying until he slammed into one of the arena walls, his head impacting it with a loud and satisfying _crack_. Juzo smiled in his victory, the crowd screaming around him in the joy of a local win, before he looked down, feeling wet around his midsection.

He fell to one knee with a cry of pain, hands clutching the kunai that was hilt deep into his liver. It seemed that while J hadn't been able to escape the mud, he'd decided to try one last attack instead. Juzo hadn't felt it immediately due to all the adrenaline, but now he could, and it _fucking hurt._ He screamed, trying to pull the weapon out, while Manamaru went to check the condition of J, confirming if he was dead or not as quickly as he could. Once he was sure the boy was, he instantly Body Flickered over to Juzo, stopping the boy from ripping the kunai out and inadvertently making his condition worse. "Harami Juzo is the winner! However, with his injuries, he will not be able to continue onward from this point." Juzo looked up at Manamaru, betrayed, but the man ignored him, much more concerned about keeping this genin alive than his stupid pride, or his chance at promotion. "Will the next combatants come down please? Medics, take him!"

* * *

"You better not lose, Konohamaru. Both of us won, so it'd be pretty embarrassing for you to be the only one on this team who didn't win their first fight, you know." Sakura said with a teasing smile, having fun with riling up the Sarutobi boy.

Konohamaru didn't rise to the bait however, just giving her a grin in response. "No way, kore! I'm gonna win easy neechan, just wait and see!"

Sakura stared at him, lost for words for just a moment. It was at times like these that the boy reminded her just how much he had in common with Naruto, but also how different he was at the same time. Naruto would've definitely gotten a little annoyed that she was teasing that he'd lose, but both of them had that same unbridled confidence and unending optimism. Her teasing expression faded, and her heart ached as she looked at her Konohamaru - her brother - realising that he had wormed his way into her heart as easily as she had done his, and she wasn't even mad about it. She smiled at him, genuinely smiled, having faith that he would do everything he could to make what he said come true. "I know you will, sport. Knock 'em dead."

Mitsuhide watched the scene with disgust, unable to actually believe that that not only were Leaf nin really this sappy even when they were about to fight, but also that this… _thing,_ this _murderer_ had the fucking _audacity_ to make that boy believe she was an actual human being with real feelings. He'd seen how much pleasure she'd gotten from taking apart Makoto - that simply wasn't normal. People didn't act like that when they had to hurt and kill, unless they were sadists of the highest caliber. The fact that she'd made the Sarutobi heir look up to her so despite being the way she was… He scoffed, turning away. Konoha really was on the verge of falling apart, it seemed.

* * *

Shirotsuchi was already in the arena, waiting impatiently for her opponent to show up. She crossed her arms, tapping her foot, while the crowd began to murmur, wondering what was taking so long. She opened her mouth to say something to the proctor, when the annoying child finally ran down from the stairs, that stupidly huge blue scarf trailing out behind him. "Sorry I'm late, kore!"

Manamaru sighed, stepping up in between the two of them while he shook his head, muttering about something. "Are you ready to begin?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, kore!"

"Alright then. Chunin Exams, Round 1, Match 6… Begin!"

Shirotsuchi rushed forward, a bit surprised that the kid wasn't moving, considering how loud and rowdy he seemed to be. Thinking nothing of it, she drew her tanto she'd gotten in an attempt to emulate Kurotsuchi, slashing at Konohamaru's exposed neck. She was surprised when she passed through the boy as if he wasn't there, but understood when the image of him disappeared in a puff of smoke. She whirled around to Manamaru, fire in her eyes. "The image of him that ran down the stairs was a clone! He's cheating!"

Even as she whined, Manamaru shook his head. "Nothin' in the rules saying he _can't_ do that, is there? If you had a problem with it, you should've noticed it before the match started and said then." _Honestly, what a spoiled brat. You should've been able to tell that there wasn't a shadow or any footprints. You think someone's gonna be there to tell you in a real fight? Tsuchikage-sama was right, she's still far too focused on brute strength and copying her cousin. She's not ready yet._

Shirotsuchi growled, whirling back around to find wherever the annoying little shit had decided to hide. He must be somewhere in the arena!

* * *

Konohamaru giggled to himself as he hid in the shadows and cracks caused by the earlier fights having completely changed the terrain of the battlefield, moving hiding spots periodically as he placed explosive tags. Sakura-neechan did tell them after all. "The battle doesn't start when someone else says it does, it starts as soon as you're on the battlefield." The eleven-year old smiled to himself. This reminded him of when he and Naruto-niichan used to play pranks on people.

* * *

Where the fuck was this brat!? It was essentially an empty field, how the hell was his stealth good enough that he'd hidden from her for five minutes? Shirotsuchi began to second-guess herself, beginning to think that he'd never come down from the stands in the first place, and now he and the other two nature losers were having a laugh at her expense. She growled low, opening her mouth to bark an order to Manamaru, when in the corner of her eyes, she spotted movement.

She spun, catching sight of a brace of shuriken, but her eyes widened as the eight she saw multiplied to a number closer to fifty. Her hands quickly fell into the snake seal, before she placed them on the ground, pulling up an Earth-Style Wall to block the attack. However, she was so focused on the attack in front of her that she didn't notice that Konohamaru was behind her till it was almost too late, as he was lunging for her kidney with a kunai. She barely managed to twist out of the way, grabbing the kid's arm as she did. "Got you, you little shit!" She spat out, but Konohamaru only grinned in response, before he disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the kunai and the lit explosive tag attached to it that Shirotsuchi had only just noticed suspended in the air as her eyes widened. "Shi-"

The explosion rocked the arena, throwing dust and rubble everywhere. Konohamaru popped up from his hiding spot to see if that had been enough, but was disappointed to see that the girl had managed to escape relatively unscathed, Shirotsuchi brushing some of the soot and ash off her arms as she walked out of the cloud of dust and to the centre of the arena. That little exchange had served to calm her down, and remind her that she wasn't just fighting some little kid off of the street - she was fighting the Sarutobi heir, grandson to the Third Hokage just as she was granddaughter to the Third Tsuchikage, and he deserved the respect that that name brought with it. He was here for a reason clearly, despite his age, and she needed to act like it.

Her eyes scanned the battlefield, locking on to Konohamaru quickly now that she had realised that if she didn't take him seriously, she had a very real chance of actually losing this fight. She charged forward, noticing a few of the more obvious tags he'd been placing and doing her best to avoid them. Luckily, they were all rather low-grade, likely to avoid the scenario of one going off setting off all the others in a chain reaction. It didn't make them any less dangerous, but at the very least their range wasn't amazing, and Shiro used that to her advantage as much as she could, cutting lines as close as she realistically could without being blown to pieces.

Realising this, Konohamaru jumped out of his hiding place, knowing that the stealthy section of this battle was over, at least for now. He threw another brace of shuriken, running through handseals immediately after. But instead of multiplying what he had thrown with the Shuriken Shadow Clone, he instead opted to go for a technique that Uncle Asuma had shown him when he graduated almost a year ago, belching out a cloud of burning, searingly hot ash.

Shirotsuchi jumped over the cloud, having not encountered this technique before but knowing just by looking that she wouldn't want to touch it, but Konohamaru grinned, having expected that. "Bombs away, kore!" He exclaimed, setting off one of the tags he had placed earlier, that explosion in turn igniting the Ash Pile Burning and causing a much larger explosion that tossed Shirotsuchi like a ragdoll and sent her flying against one of the arena walls. The boy smiled, hopping down to re-set some tags just in case she could still fight, but was surprised when he caught a fist in the gut, doubling him over and causing him to violently cough up blood.

"You aren't the only one who can use clones." Shirotsuchi told him coldly, looking down on him over the bridge of his nose. Konohamaru turned to look, and sure enough, the girl that had impacted with the arena girl was currently melting back into the mud that had formed her. "If you surrender now, I won't have to hurt you… too badly. I don't mind smacking around tree-huggers like you, but you're just a kid. And besides, you aren't the one I want anyway."

Konohamaru struggled to pick up his head to look at his opponent, trying to speak but only managing to expel blood mixed with spittle. Shirotsuchi gave him time, completely content with letting it end here as she said, but was disappointed with his response. "No way, kore! I promised… I promised Sakura that I'd win!"

"Did you now?" Shirotsuchi pulled her fist back from where she had been pushing into the boy's body, leaving him gasping for air, before she drilled him again, this hit even harder and better-placed than the first, making the boy's hands shoot to his mouth as he involuntarily retched. "Looks like you'll have to break that."

* * *

"This year's Exams have been unusually vicious, what with the deathmatch rule, Tsuchikage-dono, but don't you think that this one is going too far? The Sarutobi kid put on a good show, but your genin is clearly better. Shouldn't you end the match now?" A asked, a little uncomfortable with watching. Ironically, although he'd found Sakura's short, brutal and bloody fight with Makoto entertaining, watching a clearly stronger opponent essentially torture a child didn't sit well with him. It seemed that most in the room agreed with him, the only ones who's eyes never left the fight being the Tsuchikage and his granddaughter.

"That's not acceptable, Raikage-dono. What if the boy finds a way out, or he has a plan? He could turn this around. Besides, if we were to end this fight now, why didn't we end the other fight with the Hyuuga boy as soon as he incapacitated his opponent? By your logic, he shouldn't have died then, but you had no problems letting that go ahead." Onoki rumbled, absolutely not letting one of Sarutobi's spawn get away with essentially a sparring session gone a bit rough just because it made the spectators a little uneasy. Besides, he didn't know what the Hokage was planning, but this was a good way to make sure he knew that he had noticed and didn't appreciate-

"I agree. Let the match continue." Sasuke interjected, to the surprise of everyone.

"But Sasuke-" Rinka began to protest, but the Uchiha scion held up his hand, stopping her.

"Let him fight." Sasuke said, voice even, even as privately he smouldered at what he was watching happen, especially knowing that the boy had been so close to Naruto and was surely getting close to Sakura. He wanted to stop it, but… He knew that it would be fine. Sakura would pay her back far worse than he ever could from up here. As long as the kid didn't die…

Onoki glanced at Sasuke calculatingly out of the corner of his eye, before clapping his hands, putting on a show of joviality. "You see? Even the Hokage agrees with me!"

"I suppose." A said, settling down in his seat for what he was sure would be an uncomfortable few minutes.

* * *

Shirotsuchi looked down at the mangled boy in front of her, utterly bewildered at what she was seeing and hearing. "What is _wrong_ with you? You can just take the Exams again! Why won't you give up!?"

Konohamaru grinned at her, though it lost some of his effect due to his missing front tooth, as well as the fact that his face was beginning to look like one massive bruise drenched in blood. "Because… I promised."

Shirotsuchi just didn't understand what was going on. What was so important that he would endure all this pain and risk dying? It was just an exam, a test. He could get promoted any number of ways, and even if he won, it didn't even guarantee he'd be promoted anyway! Why was he so adamant about this!?

She shook her head. "Fine. Have it your way." She drew her tanto, stepping forward. "I gave you as many chances as I could."

The boy grinned at her. "Just try it and see, kore! My master plan's about to unfold!" Shirotsuchi took another step, raising the blade to cut him down when-

"Konohamaru!"

Sakura's shout easily cut through the silence of the arena, the crowd having long since quieted watching this scene unfold in front of them. The boy looked up at the fighter's stands, spotting Sakura instantly, and recognising her expression just as quickly. He sagged, guilty and defeated, his head falling down as he whispered, "I forfeit."

* * *

Shirotsuchi walked up the stairs, still confused as to why that boy had been so against giving up when he had known for so long that he wouldn't win. It didn't make any sense to her.

"Hey. Good job."

Her head shot up as she recognised that voice, grinning widely. "Kuro-cha- Uh, I mean." She coughed, trying to compose herself and calm down, looking back at the now smirking Kurotsuchi with a cool facade. "Kurotsuchi-shoshi. What are you doing here?"

The older jonin chuckled. "Oh, cool it Shiro. No one's watching, or can hear us." At that, the younger girl's facade cracked again, smiling with excitement at seeing her favourite cousin. "But I'm not here just to congratulate you. Got orders from the old man."

"From oji-sama?" Shirotsuchi asked, confused.

"Yep." Kuro said, nodding. "They're pretty simple. Basically, that girl Sakura? She's definitely going to make it to the finals. We're pretty confident you will too, so jiji's said as soon as your match starts, you're to forfeit."

"What!?" She exclaimed, not at all happy with this news. "Why?"

"Because she'll kill you, Shiro. None of us want that." Kurotsuchi said matter-of-factly.

"Don't you have any faith in me?" She asked, hurt.

"It's nothing to do with that, Shiro. She's out of your league, and that's that. Don't fucking fight her, understand? I mean it!" Kurotsuchi ordered, the younger girl nodding, suitably cowed, even as she thought to herself.

_Even if she's that strong… No, she can't be. They're just worried. And I need to pay her back, besides…_

* * *

Shirotsuchi stepped back into the viewing platform, instantly aware of the massively different atmosphere it had as she arrived. It was strange, but it all seemed to be emanating from Haruno, despite the fact that she was watching the current match calmly, her hand gently placed on the railing as she did.

"I was going to take it relatively easy on you." She began to speak as soon as Shirotsuchi arrived, unnerving her more with how even and calm she was, despite the rage she was sure that she was feeling. "You might be a maggot foreigner with dirt for brains, but it was your cousin I had the problem with. She was the one I wanted to play with really, and I was just going to use you as a substitute, since you hadn't done anything to me, really. I mean you did send that battalion of teams at me, but I thought that was just you flirting. You hadn't done anything bad.

"Until now, at least.

"You hurt him. And I don't care that he wouldn't give up, or whatever excuse you're going to give. There are ways of inflicting the most pain with the least injury, and I know that you know that, but you didn't even attempt those, you just beat the shit out of him. And even then, I thought that it was fine. You were only following the rules, after all. But then… You tried to kill him. If I hadn't said anything, you _would_ have killed him. And that's too far.

"There's something I've learned, Shiro. In my time being a ninja. Would you like to know what that is?"

Shirotsuchi gulped, the room deathly silent, everyone just as unnerved and borderline terrified as she was. "W-What is it?"

Sakura turned to look at her for the first time, making eye contact with Shirotsuchi. The Iwa girl's breath caught in her throat as she looked into Haruno's eyes, her normally vibrant jade now being a deep, dull grey-green devoid of any emotion whatsoever, while her large, dilated pupils looked more like a black, murky pit that went down forever.

"You reap what you sow."

Sakura stepped past her, walking down to the medical bay.

* * *

**Thanks for reading.**


	44. Reap

**A Life of its Own, Act I**

**Larger Than Life**

**Reap**

She didn't trust these Rock fucks at all. Knowing them, they'd purposely mess up Konohamaru's treatment and then claim it was an accident, or 'they did all they could'. Fuck that. _Fuck that!_ She'd just fucking do it herself! And _God help_ anyone who had a problem with it!

The clear extent of Sakura's unbridled fury and the memory of what she had done to Emi Makoto less than half an hour prior meant that anyone near gave her as wide a berth as they could, shinobi and civilian alike. She didn't even notice, so consumed by her rage as she was, her mind only concerned about how she would _break_ Shirotsuchi in return. She wasn't even paying attention to where she was walking, instinctively sensing out Konohamaru's chakra and moving towards it haphazardly as she muttered to herself under her breath, her manic and bloodshot eyes a far cry from the cold, dead ones that had almost put the fear of death in Shirotsuchi only moments ago.

She entered the medical bay to see Konohamaru on a bed, medical ninja preparing to operate as she came in. She growled like a wildebeest, shoving the doctors away from the boy as she stalked over. "Out of my fucking way. _Out of the way!_ "

One of the doctors pushed back, incensed. "What the hell are-"

Sakura's eyes whipped over to him blazing orange, promises of death and pain clear under the anger they contained. " _Fucking MOVE!"_ She screeched, shoving the doctor again, who complied out of sheer animal instinct, feeling in his heart that if he argued this girl would simply kill him on the spot, despite her rank and therefore strength. He and the other medic nin watched as her eyes faded to green again, before her hands became swathed in healing chakra and she went to work.

It was obvious just by watching that she had never received proper medical training, or if she had, it had been extremely basic. Just in what she prioritised healing, how she moved over the body, what she checked and the things she forgot. But she was so talented, it didn't even matter.

He'd never seen anything like it. Her Mystical Palm Technique was perfect, better than his - better than _anyone's._ It didn't matter that she didn't know exactly how to go about healing the boy - her raw talent was so great that it made up for it, and he meant that in more ways than one. As she healed, he noticed her checking things she'd passed over before, readjusting her priorities, everything. It was like she was _learning as she healed_. It was breathtaking, and he completely forgot about the sadistic little fiend she'd been on the battlefield, and the mad beast that she'd been when she'd barged into the theatre - he was mesmerized just watching, and it seemed that his colleagues that were here with him were feeling the same.

But just as quickly as it began, it stopped. The green light faded from her hands, as the Sarutobi boy began to open his eyes, shocking all gathered apart from Sakura at how fast he was recovering. "Neechan..?" He asked, almost as if he was just waking up from a dream.

"Hey there, sleepyhead. You passed out after your match." She smiled tenderly, stroking his head.

"The… Oh shit, kore! I-" The boy jolted up, before deflating almost instantly, sinking into the hospital bed. "I lost, didn't I…"

Sakura nodded sadly, ears perking up at the faint roar of the crowd she could hear. "Yeah. Don't beat yourself up about it. You were amazing, shannaro."

"You think?"

"Absolutely." She leaned forwards, planting a kiss on his forehead, causing the boy to blush. "I think my match is starting soon, so I'll have to go back. I'll see you soon, Konohamaru-kun." Her eyes turned frosty as she made eye contact with the doctors surrounding them, all of them still surprised at the boy's lightning-fast recovery. "I'm _trusting_ him to you." The assorted medical professionals gulped as they nodded, all of them picking up what that meant. Sakura nodded as well, satisfied, smiling at Konohamaru one last time before she stood and began walking out.

"Bye, Sakura-chan!"

Her expression twitched, before she steeled it into a mask of no emotion, and on top of that threw on her familiar wide, happy smile that didn't reach her eyes.

They'd made things personal. Now? It was time for the harvest.

* * *

Sakura's intuition had been right, the faint roar of the crowd that she'd heard had indeed signified the end of the fight between the irrelevant girl from Kumo and the irrelevant boy from Ame. She didn't know or care who had won, because it didn't matter - Shirotsuchi would beat them anyway. She'd better. Sakura could already barely hold herself back knowing that she'd eventually get the chance to fight her at the end of the Exams, and even she didn't know what she would do if that chance was stripped away from her by some worthless bug.

She heard the proctor call for her, and so stepped out into the battlefield, a smile plastered onto her face as usual, doing what she could to hide the anger she was feeling. She knew it was a bit of wasted effort considering her little outburst up in the stands, but keeping up appearances mattered regardless. She stepped onto the rapidly deteriorating arena ground to see K or whatever standing there waiting already, the boy's hand already on his weapon before the match even began. Her smile twisted into a cruel smirk for a moment despite herself, commending him mentally for having even a modicum of intelligence, before quickly returning to the placid grin it had been before. Neither her opponent nor the proctor were fooled at all, but they were the only ones who saw, so… whatever.

"Are you ready?" Manamaru asked nonetheless, knowing that this beast in a little girl's dress would be prepared to kill at a moment's notice anyway, but he too had to keep up appearances.

"Yep!" She chirped, giggling, and Manamaru nodded in assent, turning to K.

"And you?"

"I'm ready." He said, a hint of fear creeping into his voice, even as he clutched at his sheathed blade even harder and tried to steel himself.

"Right." Manamaru turned away, focusing on the crowd, before he paused, eyes flicking back to K, though he didn't turn his head. "Remember, you can forfeit at any time." K nodded, easily understanding the far from subtle hint, eyes remaining trained on the girl who seemed more concerned with the birds and clouds flying overhead than him.

Manamaru shifted. Whatever Konoha had done to this girl, it was definitely effective. She even unnerved him. He had no idea if her mental state was the point or a side effect, but it hardly mattered - it worked, and that's all there was to it. According to her file, this girl had been the former teammate of the current Hokage, before she basically disappeared from all records for three years, and then came back like… this. He'd almost assume that Orochimaru had done something to her, but that snake had been dead for the exact amount of time she'd been gone.

Then again… if no one had seen _her_ either…

He shook his head, clearing his mind of the useless speculation. That could wait until later, when the old goat would ask him everything he knew about her. Knowing him, it'd be the second the Leaf delegation left the village. "The Chunin Exam finals, second round! The first match… begin!"

Both K and Sakura remained still, in a large contrast to pretty much every fight that had come before them. The pink-haired woman just looked at her opponent calmly, her smile growing wider and wider by the second, before a throaty noise escaped her, almost guffawing as she took her hands out of her pockets and splayed them to her sides, her palms facing up. K was waiting for the inevitable burst of impossible speed that he knew was coming and that he knew he couldn't dodge, but at least could counter, hoping that her own speed along with the strength of his iai draw would mean she'd split herself in two trying to attack.

But it never came.

K, and the entire arena alongside him, were shocked as they were bathed in blue light, as two huge cubes with sides as long as Sakura's torso appeared, one floating above each hand. In unison, countless cuts seemed to appear along them, before each of the massive cubes split with a metallic, almost digital sounding snap into an utterly uncountable number of tiny ones, each of these only being a cubic inch in size. The cubes floated around Sakura lazily, as she laughed, clasping her hands together. "Round two. Ninjutsu." She snapped her fingers, a portion of the cubes flying straight forwards like they were lasers straight at K, who finally decided to move. He watched in shock as they impacted where he had been standing, each tiny cube impacting with an explosion like a low-grade kibakufuda. Nothing impressive on its own, but given the sheer number? It was staggering.

K didn't stop dodging, running around the battlefield to avoid the cubes that seemed like they weren't even really trying to hit him, as there were only ever enough cubes being fired at once to force him to dodge, never enough to cut him off or pincer him. He considered the fact that perhaps this was as many as she could control at once, but as he spared a glance and saw her _playing_ with a couple even as she forced him into this deadly dance, he knew that wasn't the case. He considered forfeiting then, but… He hadn't done _anything_ yet, apart from dodge. When she hit him… that's when he'd forfeit. At that point it wouldn't be worth continuing.

His eyes widened, as he saw her slowly start sinking into the ground. Her cubes began to fire faster, K just barely able to keep up, though the increased speed meant he couldn't try to make his way over to her like he had been trying to before and stop her from doing whatever she was about to. Her smile only widened as she noticed him trying, raising her hand and waving as her head and fingers slipped into the ground and the last of her bullets fired, turning the already destroyed battlefield to a pockmarked, cratered mess.

K was left panting and sweating from the exertion of avoiding that unrelenting barrage, but he was also uninjured, and very much alive. It had been a lot to deal with, but if stuff like that was all she had, then he thought that he might actually have a chance here. The battlefield was left strangely quiet after Sakura went underground, but instead of panicking and trying to find her, K instead used the time to calm himself down, instead focusing on countering whatever it was she would try to do next. She was faster and stronger than he was, so if he tried to chase her he'd never win. She needed to come to him, open herself up - that'd be his chance. He let out a deep, shaky breath, sweat beginning to pool over his brow again. Was it getting hotter, or was he going crazy?

His head jerked downwards, seeing that the ground underneath him was beginning to glow red-hot. He dived to the side sharply, and not a second too soon either as a pillar of flame shot out of the ground where he had just been stood. He landed, but was only given a moment's reprieve before the fire shooting out from the first attack ceased, and the ground underneath him began to glow again, causing him to dive roughly away again. This repeated thrice more, before he finally managed to properly get his feet underneath him after a dive. This time, when the ground glowed, he leapt up into the air, smirking as he reasoned that she must've somehow been tracking where he was landing. If he was in the air, she wouldn't know where he was.

His eyes widened in shock as Sakura emerged from the rock, ripping upwards and through the earth much faster than she had sunk underneath it. She grasped his ankle as he was making his leap, and as K remembered his promise to himself and opened his mouth to forfeit, the Konoha shinobi swung him like a pendulum, the boy's back crashing into the ground so hard that the rock directly underneath cracked.

The boy let out a strangled gurgle, halfway between a gasp and a scream, as blood spurted from his mouth unbidden. The pain was more than he'd ever felt. It was almost unbearable, the intensity of it so great that for a moment, K forgot who he was, where he was, and even what he was doing, his entire world being consumed by pure agony. Because of that, he wasn't able to scream out the words that would have saved his life, and little did he know that that was his last chance.

Sakura swung him up and over her head, the boy falling like a meteor just as hard this time onto his front, shattering his nose and chipping his teeth, to say nothing of the inevitable concussion and other assorted internal damage that had been done. Sakura repeated swinging him like this over and over, before she grew bored of it, flinging the boy at one of the walls, K skipping off of the ground and tumbling end-over-end until he came to a natural stop. Although the throw hadn't been nearly as bad as the numerous slams into the ground, it also was far from tame, the jagged rocks and uneven earth breaking bones and tearing flesh as he passed over and through them.

Despite all of this, against all odds, the boy was still alive, twitching as he tried to get up, honestly surprising Sakura. She waltzed over to the kid, picking him up by his shirt collar, staring at his still defiant-yet-scared eyes as he tried to make words through his missing teeth and shattered jaw. Sakura smiled at the sight, the broken boy covered in blood impressing her with his conviction. _His eyes are still alive. He's got guts._ She turned with K in her hands still, so that she faced back towards the centre of the arena, before unceremoniously dropping him. For an instant, the boy thought that she was done with him, that she was going to let him live, but that hope was quickly shattered when she drove her fist into his stomach, knocking the wind as well as a good amount of blood out of him and sending him flying near to where they had started.

Sakura took her time approaching the still-alive boy, stopping near where he had landed, face-up and wheezing. A breathy, clicking sound began to emanate from him, before the boy choked out. "P-Pro-"

He was quickly silenced as Sakura stomped on his face, destroying his jaw even further. "Oi. Oi oi oi oi oi oi oi oi oi oi oi oi oi. No no no no no no no no no no no." Each word was accentuated with another stomp, Sakura growing faster and more manic with every moment. "Haven't you learned yet? You don't get a say in things. Only I do! _Understand!?_ " She paused, before raising her foot up, looking at the blood and gore covering her sandal, and then down at the puddle of liquefied bone and brain where K's head had been. "Oh, I killed him by accident. I always forget how fragile they are…" She started to mutter to herself as she wandered off, not even waiting for the proctor to declare her the winner, leaving both him and the crowd in stunned silence.

* * *

"A shame, Raikage-dono. Seems like you won't be getting any promotions this year." Sasuke said coolly, his fingers laced in front of his mouth.

A frowned, having mentally taken note of everything that had just happened in that battle. "It's no big deal. I thought they were a promising team, but if all three of them died so easily, then clearly I was wrong." _The information that K's managed to uncover about that girl's skills is likely more valuable than he ever would've been anyway, and he was the most talented of those three. It's not ideal, but I'll take this over nothing._

Onoki was silent, quietly ruminating as he watched Sakura's every move like a hawk. Sasuke eyed both his supposed peers, trying not to laugh at their reactions to her. Sakura was… a good deal more brutal than she had used to be, but it was the perfect thing for the mission he had given her, to the point where he wasn't sure if she was actually this unstable or if she was playing it up purely because everyone could see.

 _Actually, no, there's no way. Nii Yugito is actively scared of her. You don't get a jinchuuriki to behave like that by just acting._ Sasuke frowned despite his good mood. He and Sakura hadn't had much of a chance to speak before she had left, at least just the two of them. He'd need to do that, make sure that at the very least if she _was_ really this unstable that she wasn't a danger. He was certain that that wasn't a worry, but… he was Hokage now. He needed to be sure.

* * *

Kotaro stared at his older opponent, wary. Mitsuhide brushed his purple hair out of his eyes, staring scornfully at the shorter Hyuuga boy. No words were exchanged between the two, both entirely focused on beating the other and nothing else. The tension between them was unlike any match that had occurred before, and it gave off the impression and vibe that the two were here to settle a grudge match, despite them not truly ever meeting each other before today. The civilians were lapping it up, hooting and hollering in anticipation, while the shinobi could easily read what was really happening. Both boys were obviously extremely unsettled by the ways each of their teammates had been beaten by each of their other teammates, and it seemed like that was causing their tension to skyrocket. Of the two, the normally placid and calm Mitsuhide seemed the more incensed, though it took a trained eye and a deep knowledge of the boy's personality to see it.

It was obvious in the way he was tapping his foot, the way his mouth curled as he sneered, how he was so eager to fight that his fingers were already twitching as they itched to make handseals. In contrast, the Hyuuga looked much the same as he did before his first fight, the only sign of any strong emotion being a slight creasing around his eyes, and an ever-so-slightly more rigid stance. Manamaru sighed, as he raised his hand. Although he'd known there'd inevitably be _some_ death when he had made the decision to make the third round a deathmatch, the entire point of his reasoning had been that it would teach the kids when they were outmatched and that retreating and living to fight another day was a better option than dying for nothing. He had a feeling that if not for that pink-haired one going first and setting a vicious standard like she had, then that would've sunk in, but it was too late now.

"Second round, second match. Begin!"

Mitsuhide's fingers hadn't been itching to make seals, like Kotaro thought. He didn't need them for something so simple. His hand slammed into the ground the moment the words left Manamaru's mouth, and before Kotaro even had a chance to even activate his Byakugan, tired as he already was, a pillar of earth erupted from the ground, hitting him square in the chest and sending him flying.

The Hyuuga genin landed with a heavy thud, groaning as he clutched at his bruised skin and cracked ribs, knowing that with that kind of damage, his hand speed would be reduced by half, if not more. Clearly this guy had an Earth nature, meaning that he had an advantage with his Lightning jutsu, but he was also better with ninjutsu with he was and probably had more chakra to boot, and that was also ignoring the fact that Mitsuhide was fresh while Kotaro had already fought and expended a lot of chakra today. Things were already not looking good.

He tried to sit up, but the bruising around his ribs was so painful he couldn't at first. He activated his Byakugan, allowing him to see Mitsuhide slowly walking up to him, taking his time. "I could've killed you just now." He said matter-of-factly. "If I'd made that a spear or a spike instead of a pillar, it'd have pierced right through you and torn you apart. If I had a bigger temper, I probably would've. But you're not even the one I'm angry at, and I'm not a murderer. I don't need to kill for no reason."

Despite himself, Kotaro grinned, showing that his teeth were marbled red with his blood. "Heh… And I guess… you're scared to see what… Sakura'd do to you next if you did kill me." Mitsuhide's eyes flashed with anger, rushing over and kicking Kotaro while he still lay on the ground, making him wheeze painfully and doubling him over as he was on his side.

"Don't push it! You know how lucky you are with me letting you live!? I could kill you right now!" Mitsuhide snarled back.

"Then do it! Do it! Prove you're not… fucking terrified of her!" Kotaro shouted back, getting characteristically heated. Mitsuhide growled, before pulling out a kunai, and going for Kotaro's neck. He stopped, inches away from the killing blow, as he felt _someone's_ stare boring two holes into the back of his skull. He began to sweat, as his hand began to shake slightly, and a cold feeling of dread rose from the pit of his stomach, making him want to vomit. He pulled away from Kotaro's neck, and the feeling abated as _she_ stopped staring. The Hyuuga boy on the ground smirked, satisfied. "I knew it… You talk a big game, but if you're so scared of her… how are you even going to fight her next round?"

Kotaro relaxed, knowing that while now technically he knew that it was impossible for him to lose given that his opponent didn't have the guts to try and kill him out of fear of Sakura, it was also pretty much impossible for him to _win_ given his condition. He deactivated his Byakugan, grinning at Mitsuhide as he did. "I forfeit. Good luck… I hope she does her worst."

* * *

Shirotsuchi shook her head, unsettled by the ominous feeling she'd been getting from Haruno, and that threat the Hyuuga kid had given to Mitsuhide. In the next round, the two would fight… Currently, apart from the opponent in front of her right now, Haruno was the only one still in the tournament to have actually killed her opponents. All the others who had killed in the matches before this one had either been eliminated, or in Juzo's case, couldn't continue further. She wondered if there was any significance to that, even as she prepared to fight the last standing member of the Amegakure team. The other two had lost in the first round, so she didn't expect much from this one. Unlike the others from his team, he wasn't wearing a rebreather, though he did have one of those jumpsuits that most Rain ninja seemed to wear. He had purple hair of a lighter shade than Mitsuhide's, his being closer to Haruno's pink than Mitsu's deep violet, though still undeniably purple in colour. It was spiked up wildly in every direction around his head, almost covering his beady black eyes that stared at her hungrily.

She frowned. She didn't like this one much. She could see even from here the thick gel that was coating his scythe, although after seeing the last match she'd have known to avoid it anyway. Flesh-eating poison was nasty, especially when it was that fast acting. It'd taken half the Kumo girl's face off within a couple of minutes.

It was somewhat telling when that was only somewhere around the top 5 most disturbing things she'd seen today.

Still, if that match had been any indication, that was mostly all he had. This wouldn't be too hard if that were the case. "Ready?" Manamaru asked, the two of them nodding. "Then begin!"

Shiro charged forwards, diving under the scythe's blade and outside of Ren's effective range, the girl getting close enough that all he could do would be to whack her with the weapon's shaft. He didn't even get a chance to do that much however, as Shirotsuchi immediately jammed her tanto into his chest, or so she thought. Her eyes widened as she felt it catch on something, realising that he was wearing some sort of padding or armour under the jumpsuit, stopping her blade short of his heart. She flipped backwards as he swung at her as best he could, getting completely out of his range, but leaving her blade jammed into his chest armour.

He chose to charge this time, intent on taking the girl out before she had time to work out a new plan of attack. Shirotsuchi focused on dodging his wild swings, focused on exactly that, diving up and over Ren as she used his shoulders as a springboard. She strung through handseals as she flipped and flew through the air, spitting out a mouthful of mud at the boy who dove to the side to avoid it, before charging her again. She ducked and dodged out of the way again, spitting out more Mud Bullets as she did, but Ren seemed to be dodging them easily as he herded her back to where their fight had begun. Forced to be constantly on the move as she was, eventually, Shirotsuchi made a mistake, slipping on the residue of one of her own Mud Bullets. Ren grinned, seeing the chance he was waiting for come, and he swung his scythe viciously, bisecting the girl… only for her to splatter into mud as she fell, the sword in his chest also melting away.

"Wha-" Ren started to say before Shirotsuchi finished what her clone had started, rising from the mud where she had been hidden underground, stabbing Ren in the same place her clone had and this time reaching his heart. "When… did you…" The boy burbled, choking on his own blood, getting some on the girl's face. She felt pity at the pathetic sight, choosing to let the boy in on the mystery before he died.

"Before the match began. Took some advice from that Konoha kid." Ren's eyes widened with betrayal as he heard this, beginning to fall as the last of his strength left him.

"Fucking… bitch…"

"Winner, Shirotsuchi!"

* * *

With the second round now over, Jute having automatically progressed to the third once it was confirmed that Juzo's injuries were indeed too severe for him to fight, things quickly moved on to the third round, Manamaru resolving to finish these last three fights quickly rather than take any breaks and extend things. He just wanted to get this over with, and to get these Konoha brats out of his hair. That pink-haired one was a headache that he was _not_ looking forward to inevitably having to deal with in the future.

Speaking of, Sakura stood in the now pretty much unrecognisable arena ground, smiling at Mitsuhide, who stared back at her impassively, anger brewing in his eyes. He didn't say anything to her, but she didn't expect him to with the little she knew about his personality, just chuckling to herself and looking down at her feet as she kicked at a few pebbles. "Ready…" Manamaru started, causing Mitsuhide to instantly lower down into a stance, though Sakura seemed not to even hear the proctor. "Begin!"

Sakura's head whipped up as she made eye contact with Mitsuhide again, eyes flashing and glinting as they reflected the light of the sun that was beginning to dip below the arena's high walls. Instantly, Mitsuhide stiffened, standing up straight as he tried to bring his hands together into the ram seal, but an unseen force seemed to be preventing him from doing so. His eyes glazed over and his hands flew to his throat, whatever that had been restraining him seemingly gone, as he began to grunt, with ever-increasing frequency and volume. Then, he began to tear and claw at his skin as if he was trying to desperately rip something off of him, though none that were watching could see what that was.

He began to scream, and in seconds, people began to see that he was clawing swathes of his own skin apart. His hands began to scratch at his face and eyes, while his already terror-filled screams raised in volume, becoming a bloodcurdling wail of utter horror as he screamed himself hoarse, and Sakura watched it all, her placid, horrible smile never once leaving her face. He fell onto his knees as his furious grating of his head became faster and more vicious, his voice reaching volumes and pitches that most people watching, even many of the experienced shinobi, had never heard coming from a single person before.

Eventually, after two agonizingly long minutes that had felt like hours, it stopped. Mitsuhide's voice faded, the boy having absolutely destroyed his throat and vocal cords with the force of his screaming, while his body flopped to the ground face up, arms lying lifelessly at his sides. He had gouged out his own eyes, and there were so many gashes and grooves on his face that it was pretty much unrecognisable. Manamaru could already tell that the boy was long gone, but given his job, he had to check - and so approached the body, placing two fingers to the neck and confirming that there was indeed no pulse. Likely the sheer terror from whatever horrific genjutsu that girl had inflicted - because what else could it have been that she'd done - had caused his heart to fail, or something like that; Manamaru was no expert on anatomy nor genjutsu, but he at least understood what it took to kill someone without even touching them.

"Round three, genjutsu." Sakura almost whispered, before stalking out of the battlefield like a spectre.

* * *

It was fun, trapping people in Delusions and letting their minds run wild with what they saw. Of course, she'd thrown in a little bit of… _help_ , shall we say, to speed things along - otherwise that would've taken ages for him to die, plus he might even have broken out. Not like that would've mattered, though. She could've just put him in as many as needed for him to die. She smiled widely as she remembered his screams, the emotions that were held in them, and the way his fear caused him to try and remove his eyes so he couldn't see what was happening… Man, watching that had really brought her mood back up after the whole Konohamaru thing. Now she was _definitely_ in the right frame of mind to play with Shiro in a bit. She felt _divine_ right now.

She passed by Shiro and the other final fighter on their way down. She bit her lip, the anticipation growing and bubbling inside of her by the second.

She couldn't wait.

* * *

Shiro nodded at Jute, the two of them ready for the fight. They'd agreed to take things easy; Jute couldn't win, and most everyone watching knew that full well - Shirotsuchi was the Tsuchikage's second granddaughter, and she wasn't called the strongest genin in the village for nothing. Still, under normal circumstances, they would've had a normal fight, but… They both knew what was coming next. The monster, who had brutally killed both of her teammates like they were nothing… Jute knew that for her to even have a chance of fighting her, she needed to be in top condition. If she approached it like the Kumo nin that had beaten Jushi had, she might be able to do _something._ After all, so far, he had been the one that had done the best against Haruno and caused her to show off the most of her skills.

 _That being said…_ The two of them thought simultaneously, as the fight began, and they put on a show of having a back-and-forth taijutsu bout. That being said, one of the things that they had all taken into consideration was the blade she carried on her hip. Considering that they'd known pretty much nothing about her fighting style going into the finals, one of the ways that Makoto had trained to fight her was to counter the extra reach and danger posed by her wielding a sword, and yet Haruno hadn't even drawn the thing yet today. Shirotsuchi considered the possibility that she'd only been carting the thing around to throw people off, but… it didn't make much sense when she thought about it. The concept of that idea itself was sound, but considering how ridiculously far ahead she was from the rest of the pack, Shiro didn't think she'd carry around a weapon to throw them off when she really didn't need the advantage, which meant it was yet _another_ thing she would have to keep track of in their fight.

Jute switched to earth jutsu that Shiro easily weaved through, avoiding retaliting with her own elemental techniques to save as much energy as possible. But yes, they would fight - she had been considering ignoring Kuro's warning and fighting before, but after what she had done to Mitsuhide… The way he died, it was just - She'd never seen him fazed, or scared, so for him to be in such terror… She couldn't imagine what she'd caused him to see, for it to be so bad that he'd _clawed his own eyes out_ to try and get away from it, and for the vision to persist anyway. With a start, she realised something, the momentary hesitation that caused almost making her get hit by one of Jute's Needling Meteors, though she managed to twist out of the way at the last second, inadvertently making their little song-and-dance just that bit more convincing.

But she wasn't focused on that, only thinking back to that short but brutal encounter that had happened just before this one. Mitsuhide had raked his fingers all over his skin and clawed out his own eyes, something that would not only cause physical pain, but would be undeniably _excruciating._ Yet despite that, whatever genjutsu Haruno had used hadn't broken, or been dispelled, which meant one of two things - either she had access to some super-genjutsu that didn't follow the rules of normal genjutsu, _or_ that she was simply so good with them that she could simply make them not follow those rules. Perhaps it was even both, but whichever it actually was didn't even matter - what did was that being caught in said genjutsu would almost certainly spell the end of the fight. Shiro thought back. Haruno hadn't used handseals - she didn't use them for _anything_ , it seemed - but she had made eye contact with Mitsuhide right before… perhaps that was the key?

Shirotsuchi began to break through and dismantle Jute's defences, their planned fight reaching its final stages. If the requirement was for Haruno to look at her, that'd be impossible to avoid, but if they needed to make _eye contact_ … She could avoid that. It couldn't be so easy to use, surely. After all, if it were, why hadn't she been using it all day? Perhaps it required all her concentration, or was pretty chakra intensive? After all, she hadn't moved at all when she used it. Despite her reasonable conclusions however, Shirotsuchi felt a feeling of dread growing in the pit of her stomach, as she thought about the most likely reason why it hadn't shown up before. _It's probably just because she wanted to show off… And now that she wants to kill me, she's going to do it in the easiest way she can._ Once again, the thought of following the advice she had been given crept up in her mind… But she quashed it down. She was no coward, and this, this thing, this murderer - she needed to be put down before she could hurt any more people.

Shinobi were meant to kill, sure. But not like this.

She placed her tanto to Jute's neck, causing the boy to raise his hands, surrendering. Shirotsuchi let out a sigh, the tension she was feeling only growing stronger rather than releasing. It was only a matter of time, now.

* * *

The arena was completely silent, as the two of them stared at each other. One was, despite her appearance and demeanour, a seasoned veteran and ruthless shinobi, who took pleasure in combat and bringing death and pain on those who she believed deserved it, while the other, while on the surface looking more stern and experienced if you were to ignore the fact that she was obviously younger, was incomparably less so, and only fought and killed to achieve whatever goal she had in mind, and for no other reason.

Sakura's mouth twitched in cruel amusement, as she imagined and predicted whatever melodramatic spiel must be flowing through Shirotsuchi-chan's mind as their fight was about to begin, knowing that the girl must be thinking that she was about to undertake the greatest challenge in her life, and maybe even some schlock about the two of them being opposites, or something suitably ridiculous and self-important. It was such a contrast to Sakura, who only knew Shiro's name because of _who_ she was, rather than _what._ If not for her relation to Kurotsuchi, she doubted she would've even gotten mad after what she did to Konohamaru - she would've just killed her and ended things there. But no. She had a score to settle - and while this certainly wouldn't resolve that little issue, it would be a decent stopgap. It'd satisfy her.

For now.

Manamaru eyed the two, glad that the end was finally in sight. Onoki himself had spoken to him earlier, as they took a short, five minute recess before the final round. He knew that the moment Shirotsuchi even uttered a syllable towards forfeiting, he was to stop the match right then and there. He had thought she might do it before the match even began, but looking at the girl now… there was no way she would. The girl was far too brash - the fact that she was even _considering_ fighting when she _knew_ she was so utterly outclassed was a better argument for why she wasn't ready for promotion than he'd ever be able to articulate. He just hoped the girl saw sense before it was too late. HIs hands were tied if she didn't.

"Are the two of you ready?"

"I am." Shirotsuchi quietly intoned, all her focus on the enemy in front of her.

"Yeah, let's go!" Sakura chirped, clearly excited.

"Alright then." Manamaru rose to his full height, giving Shirotsuchi as much time to rethink her decision as he could as he wasted time posturing. "The Chunin Exams, final round! Haruno Sakura, of Konohagakure, facing Kamizuru Shirotsuchi, of Iwagakure…" He paused, one final time, closing his eyes when Shirotsuchi didn't take the chance. "Begin!"

Shirotsuchi was on the ground before she even knew what had happened. It had all happened so fast that whatever Haruno had done hadn't even begun to hurt yet, the woman in question straddling her at the waist as she smiled down at the girl. Shirotsuchi thought that she'd made a mistake. Now that she was here, and it was happening… her confidence was leaving, and she wanted out. She opened her mouth to forfeit, but as she did, blue chains emanated from one of Sakura's hands, wrapping tightly around her mouth and sealing it tightly shut, to the point where she couldn't get any sound out even if she screamed. Shiro's eyes went wide with fear, as Sakura's smile only grew, the Konoha shinobi looking like a child who had just gotten a new toy for their birthday as she stared down at the girl. "Okay, Shiro-chan. Let's have some fun."

* * *

**(AN: Depiction of torture directly following this author's note. If you would rather skip it, move on to the next author's note.)**

Shiro whimpered underneath the chains as Sakura sat her down, the pink-haired woman having created chairs for them both through earth manipulation. More chains appeared, tying Shirotsuchi down to the chair, as Sakura took her hand, tenderly grasping her index finger, before clasping the end of the iwa kunoichi's nail between her thumb and forefinger. "Okay, Shiro-chan! I'm gonna take the chains around your mouth off now. Don't talk yet though! I wanna play a game first." The words, while casual and friendly, were uttered with killing intent of such intensity emanating from Sakura that Shirotsuchi could do nothing but obey, and so when the chains left her mouth, she didn't instantly forfeit like she should have. Instead, she waited, letting Sakura go on with whatever she had planned.

She smiled, happy to see that things were going well so far. "Perfect. Now then, Shiro-chan, I've got a question for you!" She chirped happily, even as her eyes glimmered with a deep, dark light. "Which shinobi village is the strongest?"

Shiro blinked, confused. Was this… it? "Obviously, it's Iw-" Her words were cut off by her screams of pain as Sakura ripped her nail out of her finger. She continued screaming, shocked by the agony that she felt from such a minor injury, while Sakura calmly grasped the nail on her middle finger, her smile remaining on her face.

"Which shinobi village is the strongest?" She repeated, a twinkle in her eye as she asked the question.

With a start, Shirotsuchi realised that she could speak. She needed to get out of this as soon as possible. If Haruno wanted to waste her time with this, fine. She could use this chance to- She screamed again, louder this time, as Sakura tore her nail out again, moving on to her ring finger. She hadn't even said anything! Why did she-

"Which shinobi village is the strongest?"

Shirotsuchi stared at Haruno through the haze of pain, but those dead eyes and that unfeeling smile weren't going anywhere. She knew what answer she wanted, so… was it so bad if she just said it? It wouldn't make it true… "K-Konoha." Shiro managed to spit out, causing Sakura to smile a bit wider.

"Correct!" She exclaimed happily, before proceeding to rip off yet another nail, Shirotsuchi's screams filling the darkening sky again. "That wasn't so hard, was it? Okay, next question!" Sakura continued, ignoring screaming-turned-whimpers.

"Which shinobi village is the weakest?"

* * *

Rinka shifted uneasily as she watched the proceedings go on. This was no longer a fight - it was a torture session. Beside her, Onoki and Kurotsuchi's rage were building by the second, and even that bastard A and his entourage seemed uncomfortable. She wasn't exactly happy, either - she didn't really enjoy fighting or killing at the best of times. Watching Sakura throughout the day's events had already been hard enough, but this? This was too far. She couldn't even imagine - what had happened in Swamps to turn her into… _this_? She was nothing like the Sakura she had known, the Sakura that had _saved_ her before.

And yet… She was, still. That first night after she had gotten back proved she was. She and Ami had slipped into the new group dynamic that had been building in the time they'd been away like they'd never even left, despite Sakura having never even _met_ Tenten, Lee or Itachi before that day. She knew that the Sakura she loved, the one that was one of her best, closest friends was still there, so… Maybe… she'd always been this way. To her enemies. And she'd just never known.

Was she… okay with that? Could she live with that?

Rinka didn't know. But she thought that what was happening right now, at least, was enough. It had to stop. She opened her mouth to say as much, but… Sasuke glanced at her, through the corner of his eye. The two of them could read each other plain as day, and she instantly knew he was telling her not to protest. She glanced to Itachi in turn, hoping for support, but was disappointed, the man not even looking her way but almost imperceptibly shaking his head.

Feeling crushed, she looked back onto the action. It was at times like this that she remembered - she hadn't been born into shinobi life like they had been. In some ways, she was still a civilian, and always would be. There were some things she didn't understand about being a ninja still that she would simply have to accept, being the partner to the Hokage like she was. She couldn't publicly show weakness like this, she got that.

But that didn't mean she had to like it.

* * *

All of her nails had been removed. She'd had all of her phalanges shattered, and her metatarsals and metacarpals slowly destroyed as well, reducing her hands and feet to useless, floppy lumps of flesh. As Sakura racked up the internal damage she was doing, so too did she also increase the external injuries, shallowly cutting and burning Shirotsuchi's skin so as to cause as much pain as possible with as little damage as possible, because that was the entire point.

She had decided to take a decidedly heavy hand when she dealt with Konohamaru, so Sakura would do the opposite - show her what a relatively gentle touch could do, and how effective such a strategy could be. She was only teaching the girl, who at this point was doing nothing but pleading with Sakura when she wasn't too busy screaming, fully believing that even if she managed to get out the words to forfeit, it wouldn't stop the older woman from continuing. Sakura's smile was still plastered on her face, not once leaving in the thirty minutes this had been going on for. She lightly grasped Shiro's left wrist with both hands, causing the girl to pause for a moment, before panicking even harder, futilely struggling against her restraints as she did. Sakura watched her, bemused, before quietly speaking once she'd had enough.

"Who's the strongest ninja in the world, Shiro-chan?" She asked calmly.

"T-T-The Hokage!" Shirotsuchi sputtered out, closing her eyes and turning her head away, beyond fearful for the pain that she knew was coming.

"Very good!" Sakura praised, causing Shiro to cautiously turn back to face her when the broken wrist she was anticipating never happened. Sakura's amusement only grew as she noted the confusion on her face, the girl having already grown so accustomed to the pain that she wasn't sure what to do without it, which only meant that the Konoha kunoichi was doing an excellent job. "What's wrong, Shiro-chan? A little confused? Let me help you out." Sakura shattered the girl's wrist, taking care to be as rough as she could with it, breaking it in such a way that it would be almost impossible to heal without a re-break. The scream of pain made her squeal with delight, and she got ahead of herself, breaking Shirotsuchi's other wrist right then and there.

She clapped her hands like a toddler watching their favourite tv show, taking in the spectacle that she'd created with enthusiasm. "Oh look at how much _fun_ we're having, Shiro-chan! If playing with you is this good, I think I might actually die from excitement when I _finally_ get my hands on-"

_Hinata_

_Suna_

_Oto  
_

_Kumo_

_Kiri  
_

_Ame_

_Iwa_

_Foreign scum_

_**Naruto's killer** _

"-Kuro-chan!" She cried, beginning to feel all tingly inside. She'd have to watch herself - she was getting so excited that she'd rush things. She held her own hand back, shaking from anticipation, yet knowing that if she took her time, it would make things that much better. Shirotsuchi tried to call out to the proctor, one last time, but found that she couldn't even make the words. Her tongue felt numb in her mouth, and no matter how hard she tried, 'I forfeit' refused to come out of her throat. Sakura managed to keep her mania down, going back to the small, understated smile she had before, even as she giggled at Shiro, before muttering in hushed tones only she could hear. "If you're wondering why you can't make the words, don't worry. I put a little Delusion on you, just to make sure you don't end things early. Can't have the fun end now. It's only getting started, you know."

Shirotsuchi realised that there was nothing more that she could do. She wouldn't be able to avenge her team, or the other Iwa teams either. She likely wouldn't even be able to survive past today. She'd never become as strong as Kurotsuchi, or her grandfather. She'd never even amount to anything. She looked at Manamaru, trying to speak, but her lips wouldn't even make the right shapes for the proctor to lip-read, and he could do nothing but watch, lest he cause an international incident, though he hated himself for every second more he stood watching.

Regretting every decision that had brought her to this point, Shirotsuchi began to cry. Sakura laughed at her.

* * *

**(AN: The depiction of torture has ended, though the aftermath will be described below. There will be another author's note for the end of that.)**

"Oi. Say it."

Shirotsuchi looked up at her, with bleary eyes. Sakura nudged her with her foot again, knowing the girl probably couldn't move considering almost every bone from the neck down was shattered, but she'd left the ribs, spine and skull intact, so maybe she'd surprise her. She kicked the Iwa girl again. "Say it."

"You…" Sakura craned her neck to hear the wheezing voice of the girl that struggled to pass through the lips that were now pretty much nothing more than fluttering flaps of skin, just like the rest of her body that had been surgically sliced, flayed and burned to remove the topmost - and only the topmost - layer of skin, leaving it flowing in the gentle breeze. "You are…"

"Yes, Shiro-chan?"

"You are… my master. Everything I do… is for you, Haruno-sama. You are… everything… that I live for." Sakura glanced at the once vibrant eyes of the girl, that were now colder and deader than even hers were, knowing that she had meant every word she said.

"Perfect, Shiro-chan. You win the game!"

There was a pause, for a moment, before Shirotsuchi wheezed again from the ground. "Haruno-sama… It doesn't hurt anymore. Please… I want you to hurt me more. Please. Or… or if I've been good enough… Kill me. Please. I need you to do it, Haruno-sama…"

Sakura glanced at the pathetic creature for a moment, her bloodlust for once actually sated. She considered putting the thing out of its misery, but… She glanced over to the VIP box, locking eyes with Kurotsuchi. She could see every vein bulging out of her skin, how her fists were clenched so tightly she was threatening to break her own fingers, how she was grinding her teeth to nothing in her ungodly rage…

Sakura's smirk became filled with a cold, dark cruelty, as she knew what the option that would cause the most pain to Kurotsuchi was. She threw her hands up in the air, shrugging with a grin. "I forfeit."

The already deathly silent arena somehow grew even quieter, as everyone gathered there processed what they had just heard. Almost no one could believe it, and it showed - everyone was so still and quiet that you would've been able to hear a pin drop from the other side of Iwagakure.

"You… You forfeit?" Manamaru asked, incredulously.

"You heard me. Shirotsuchi wins." _Have fun taking care of that thing, Kuro._ Feeling that nothing more needed to be said, Sakura began to walk out of the arena, while Shirotsuchi began to spasm and panic on the floor, doing everything she could to try and follow her.

"Haruno-sama, wait! Please! Hurt me, kill me, do whatever you want with me! Please, Haruno-sama! Take me with you! I'll become a missing-nin, so please! Please! _Don't leave me!_ "

* * *

**(AN: All of the torture details and associated scenes are now finished.)**

The four from Konoha were silent as they began their journey home, Sasuke having understood an hour into that that Sakura was truly in for the long haul and sent Ebisu home ahead of time with the two injured genin, along with the protective detail that had come with him, Rinka and Itachi to protect them on the way back to the village. Sasuke broke the silence first.

"Well, Sakura. That was definitely… something."

Sakura preened, glancing at Sasuke with sparkling eyes. "Did you like it? I put on a show, just like you wanted!"

Sasuke held her gaze, unsettled, but not showing it. "You certainly did."

Behind them, Rinka and Itachi shared a glance, all three of them already on the same wavelength. They needed to keep an eye on her, and put her on a tight leash besides.

Sakura had completely lost her mind, and they weren't sure if she was safe to keep around.

* * *

"...Damn." Was the first thing B said, what he had just watched enough to even stop him rhyming as the Kumo delegation made their way home.

"Now do you get it?" Yugito asked quietly, checking their backs every couple of seconds, making sure that _she_ wasn't following them and looking for more blood. "Do you understand why I said we shouldn't go anywhere fucking near that thing?"

"I understand perfectly now, Yugito. You're right - as soon as we get back, remind me to update the Bingo Book. That girl is… she's not right. And if she truly has the Nine Tails, like you think… Damn. I might have to make her a flee-on-sight order. Damn!" A punched a tree as they passed by it, causing the trunk to groan and splinter before it fell. "Konoha's always got something up their fucking sleeve, no matter how dead in the water they look!"

* * *

Kurotsuchi looked at her cousin, sorrow filling her eyes as she watched the medic-nin work. They had said there wasn't any physical damage that couldn't be repaired, and though it would take a while, Shirotsuchi would make a complete physical recovery.

But that was the problem. _Physical_ recovery.

No one knew whether they'd be able to bring her even remotely back to the person she was before the match, let alone heal her mind fully. They were saying that even if they had a Yamanaka to forcefully piece her psyche back together there was still a very high chance that nothing would come of it. That _**bitch**_ had completely broken her - entirely beyond repair. And the worst thing was that she _knew_ it too. She could've just killed Shiro - but no, she let her live, if you could even call what she was now living, just because she knew it would piss Kurotsuchi off more.

Well, it had worked. She'd never been close to this angry before.

Akatsuchi, now Shirotsuchi… How many careers did she need to end? How many lives was she going to ruin?

She'd had enough.

"Jiji." Kurotsuchi said, tearing her eyes away from her cousin and standing, turning around to face the grim-looking Tsuchikage, who looked up at her, wondering what she wanted. "Train me. From tomorrow. Teach me your Jinton, your floating, your fighting style… I want all of it! Make me the strongest that you possibly can!"

She clenched her fist, gritting her teeth as hellfire burned in her eyes. "And when we eventually catch that fucking monster… She's all mine! I want her head myself!"

* * *

**Our hero, ladies and gents. Thanks for reading.**


End file.
